Swept Away
by Emeraldfire8
Summary: Through a "twist" of fate, Inuyasha and Kagome find themselves smack in the middle of nowhere. As they try to find their way back, they meet a few problems...and some new emotions. Created for the sole purpose of InuKag fluff, rated for lingo and action.
1. Toto, where did Tokyo go?

**Author's note: I felt like I needed to vent some Inu/Kag fluff, so I'm going to try this story idea. After a few minutes of thinking, I actually came up with a plot, so I decided to go for it.**

**I promise this won't affect New Reincarnation on the Block. I have a friend who will personally throttle me if I take any more time to update, so don't fear. (Lol, love ya, Jay.)**

**Enjoy!**

*          *            *

Thunder roared in the blackened sky, lightning leaping furiously from cloud to cloud. Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha tried to force his way through the driving rain.

"Dammit to hell. Where did this storm COME from??" A hand lifted to shield his face from debris carried by the frightful wind, he looked down at Kagome. She huddled closer to him, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other pressed against her chest. Inuyasha tightened his arm about her shoulders. "Are you all right??"

She nodded shortly, clinging to him as a branch came whipping through the air. Cursing under his breath, Inuyasha turned his head to look at the people behind him.

"You guys ok?"

Sango lifted a hand in reply, her face grim from the effort of holding up her boomerang in the wild wind. Miroku held onto Kirara's shoulder, his robes tugging at him. Shippo's tail poked out from the crook of Miroku's arm. As a mighty clap of lightning and thunder rent the air, Shippo disappeared further into Miroku's robes.

Miroku lifted his head slightly, ignoring the bite of the driving wind. "This was a really bad idea, Inuyasha!! We should have gone for cover when the storm first arrived!"

Inuyasha scowled back at him, yelling over the howl of the wind. "Yeah, well if a certain someone hadn't hit on the queen in that last city, maybe we wouldn't have been turned out INTO this storm!!"

"I wasn't hitting on her! I simply wanted to ensure that her family line stayed intact!"

Sango whacked him upside the head. "By groping her and begging her to have your children?? You lech!!"

"But I—"

"Can it!" Inuyasha yelled. "Just shut up and keep moving, all right?? I can see some cliffs up ahead. We should be able to find shelter!"

Nodding grimly, the group trudged on.

Kirara growled softly, glancing over her shoulder at the darkened sky behind them. A moment later, Inuyasha's ears tweaked backward, his stomach lurching over the change in pressure.

"What the hell is that sound??" He resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears, but the wind behind him sounded like a horde of screaming banshees rioting in his ears. The hair on his arms rose.

Peering out from under his arm, Kagome glanced back at the dark sky behind them and frowned at the wildly waving trees.

"Inuyasha, I'm getting a bad feeling about this!" She squinted, brushing rain and wet hair out of her face.__

_CRACK! BOOM!_

Kagome's eyes flew wide as the entire sky was momentarily illuminated.

"Oh…my…god…" Panicking, she grabbed Inuyasha's shirt and tugged. "We have to get out of here!! NOW!!"

He winced as a flying rock rapped him in the side of the head. "Why? What's going on??"

"IT'S A TORNADO!!"

Inuyasha's stomach dropped into his feet. "WHAT??" Ignoring his hair as the wind ripped it to the side, he glanced back just as another clap of lightning split the sky…

…And caught sight of the tremendous beast of nature following them.

"SHIT!!" Without another thought, Inuyasha swung Kagome onto his back and started to run, his feet slipping slightly in the mud. "Sango, Miroku, get on Kirara!! We need to move!!"

The two glanced back, yelped, and jumped onto the cat demon's back. With a roar, the cat demon took to the air.

Inuyasha scowled as he poured every ounce of strength he had into running, the rain almost painful as it crashed into him. He felt the wind tug him backwards with every flying leap.

"Kagome, hang on tight!!" He felt her nod against the back of his neck and watched her arms tighten about his throat._ Dammit, I wish I could protect her from all this. Why didn't I do something when I felt the pressure drop?? Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!_

A low growl rumbled out of his throat as he furiously wiped a stray lock of wet hair out of his face._ Well, at least it can't get any worse._

It started to hail. Hard.

"God DAMMIT!!"

A bead of sweat streaked down his temple as the horrible screech of the tornado grew louder and louder. A glance backwards sent a sickening wave of fear through him.

The tornado practically filled the sky.

Kirara roared as the wind tossed her about in the air. Anxiously, she sent a glance back at Inuyasha, who was slowly falling behind.

"Just keep going, Kirara!!" He yelled. "Go on ahead, we'll be fine!"

Sango glanced back, a worried frown on her face. "We should go back for them. With that outfit of his, Inuyasha can't possibly outrun that monster!!"

Miroku tightened his grip about her waist, for once refraining from groping about. "Don't underestimate him! Besides, if all four of us are riding Kirara, there's no way _she_ can outrun it. The only chance we have is if we stay apart!" He glanced back, squinting in the torrential downpour. "Inuyasha knows that!"

The wind carried most of their words away, but Inuyasha still picked up on their conversation. 

"Don't you dare come back here for me!! I can protect Kagome. Worry about yourselves and get the hell out of here!!" As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Kagome's legs. _Don't worry, Kagome, I promise I won't let anything happen to you._

She lifted her head out of his hair. "You heard him! We'll be fine!! Go!" She sent a weak smile before burying her face in his neck again. _Please let them be safe…and please, whoever's out there, look after us!!_

After a moment of hesitation, Sango leaned forward on Kirara. "Let's go!"

The cat roared and doubled her efforts, slowly pulling away from the pair…and from the beast of nature behind them.

Breathing heavily, Inuyasha cursed his bulky clothing as it dragged him back in the wind. His muscles burned from the effort of fighting the wind, his face red from the biting wind and hail. Another lurch of the stomach warned him that the pressure was still dropping…

…Which meant that the thing was catching up to him. 

"I-Inuyasha! Try going at an angle!"

"What??" He tipped his face back in an effort to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Maybe if we're not going straight along its path, we can get away from it!!" She tightened her grip on him. "If we keep going this way, it's going to catch us!"

"Feh." Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha changed direction, angling himself slightly to the right of the tornado's trail of destruction. Ice flowed through his veins as he felt the tornado come closer. "I hope you're right, Kagome!!"

Heart pounding, he watched the tornado loom closer out of the corner of his eye…

…And watched it disappear.

"H-Huh?" Blinking, he glanced around, still running at full force in the wild wind. "Where'd it go?"

Kagome lifted her head. "It pulled up into the clouds?"

"Looks like it!" _Then why is my skin crawling?_ Frowning, Inuyasha looked straight ahead, watching the lightning warily.

WhrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOARRRRRR!!!

Inuyasha nearly lost his lunch as the pressure plummeted…

…And the tornado dropped down, directly in front of them.

"HOLY SHIIIIIIIIITTTT!!!!!!"

In a last-minute burst of panic, Inuyasha whipped Kagome off his back and held her tight against his chest, burying his face in her hair. He vaguely heard frightened yells from Sango and Miroku as he tightened his arms around Kagome.__

_I'm sorry, Kagome!! I'm sorry!!!_

They both screamed as the tornado sucked them up, and the world went black.

*          *            *

Groaning, Inuyasha slowly lifted a hand to his face as he lay sprawled on the ground. Peeling his eyes open, he squinted at the bright sun and blue skies about him.

"What…the hell…?" His voice sounded raspy in the quiet clearing about him. "What hap…" His eyes flew open as memories crashed to the forefront of his brain. 

"Oh my god, Kagome!!" 

Ignoring the painful protests of his muscles, Inuyasha lurched to a sitting position and looked frantically around.

"Kagome?? Kagome, where are you??"

"…Ungh…"

Inuyasha spun about at the soft moan behind him. Kagome lay on her side a few feet behind him, her clothes in tatters and her backpack, straps broken, flung several yards beyond her. Her face was tilted towards the ground, her matted hair draped across her face and obscuring it completely. Worry winding itself in his stomach, Inuyasha rose to his knees and crawled over to her. He gingerly lifted a hand to her shoulder.

"Kagome? Are you all right? Can you hear me??"

After a moment, the girl groaned and opened her eyes. Wincing, she sat up.

"I…Inuyasha?" She blinked blearily at him for a long moment before her eyes flew completely open. "Oh god, Inuyasha!!!" 

Ignoring the pain that raced through her, Kagome flung her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Relief and leftover terror raced through her, making her body tremble. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha returned the embrace, crushing her against him.__

_Thank god she's all right…_

Kagome sniffled, her face still buried in his chest. "Oh god…Inuyasha, I've never been so scared in my entire life!! I thought…I thought we were…"

He tightened his hold on her, allowing himself to rub his cheek on the top of her head._ She's alive. She's okay._

After a long moment, they drew apart. Inuyasha craned his neck, attempting to get some kinks out of it, then proceeded to stretch his arms and back. Sniffling, Kagome wiped at her eyes and glanced around.

"Um…Inuyasha?"

He paused, arms stretched over his head. "What?"

Kagome took another long look around, her heart sinking.

"Where…where are we?"

Blinking, Inuyasha lowered his arms and looked around. Nothing looked familiar, nothing smelled familiar. He felt like they weren't even in Japan anymore. Heart pounding, Inuyasha swallowed and returned his gaze to Kagome's.

"I…I have no idea."

They stared at each other, the same thought racing through their minds.__

_We're lost._


	2. Lost

**Author's note: Hey y'all! A whole mess of new characters kept jumping into this chapter, but eventually I got them to sit down, shut up, and wait their turn. Four rewrites later… *rolls eyes * **

**Yeah. Enjoy this chap, cuz things may start heating up in the next… 0_0 Also, my next chap of Reincarnation is ready to go! (See? I HAVEN'T been slacking off! :-P )**

**Toodles!**

*          *          *

After a long moment of silence, Kagome crawled over to her bag and rummaged through it. A blush settled upon Inuyasha's cheeks as he noticed the rather ragged state of her clothing, and, discomfited, he turned away.

"What are you doing?" he asked grumpily. Kagome glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"I had a change of clothes in here, thank goodness." She smiled softly at the blush on his cheeks and turned back to her bag. "I don't think I can ask for help looking like _this._"

"Feh. Whatever." Glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, Inuyasha frowned. "Are you sure you should be moving around already?"

Kagome stilled and winced as her head throbbed. "I don't really have much of a choice. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm fine." 

He snorted. "It's a miracle, then. A weak human body like yours should've been ripped apart by that tornado." He let out a tiny sigh of relief, masking it as a huff of annoyance. "You're lucky you're not hurt."

She gingerly touched the back of her skull. "Well, I did get a pretty good lump on the head, but I'm sure I'll survive." She blinked as he growled and clambered over to her. "What?"

"You mean you _are_ hurt??" He scowled to cover up his concern as he gently touched her hair. His scowl grew at the scent of blood. "Dammit, you should've said something, you idiot!"

Annoyed, Kagome pushed his hand away. _Does he **always** have to insult me?_ "I said I'm fine. I'm not going to keel over because of a bump on the head!"

Growling, he folded his arms over his chest. "Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me!" _That's what I get for worrying about her. Stupid wench! _"Next time I'll just let you bleed to death!" __

_Oh, give me a break. And I thought teenage **girls** were supposed to be melodramatic!_ Kagome rolled her eyes and returned to her task, pushing ramen and candy bars around until she found what she was looking for.

"Ah! Finally!" She glanced around, taking note of the trees nearby. Slowly, she rose to her feet, making sure that her legs were going to hold her up before she put all her weight on them. Clothes folded in her arms, she walked towards the trees.

"Face the other way while I change, and don't even _think_ about peeking at me!"

"Feh." He complied, scooting around until his back was to her. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Hmph." _What a jerk._ Tilting her chin up, Kagome strode into the forest and began to change.

Inuyasha's ears tweaked at the sound of rustling clothing, but he ignored it. A small worm of unease was wriggling through him.__

_I honestly have no clue where we are. _He sniffed speculatively at the air, but he still caught nothing familiar. _How can we get back if we don't have a way of getting our bearings?_

"Inuyasha?"

Broken out of his reverie, he turned around…

…And stared.

Kagome placed her hands on her hips and stared back down at him. A form-fitting blue T-shirt hugged her torso, while denim shorts clung feverishly to her hips. Frayed cuffs let slivers of fabric trail down her thighs. Although her school uniform flattered her to some extent, this outfit left little to the imagination.

…Was she _trying_ to tease him??

Swallowing hard, Inuyasha dragged his gaze to her face. "It took you long enough! Let's get a move on!"

Kagome sighed and lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. After a moment, she spoke.

"Do you think…? If you climb a really tall tree, do you think you could spot the tornado's path? We could just follow it back."

Glancing up, Inuyasha gauged the height of a tall, spindly tree nearby. "It's worth a shot, I guess." 

With a grunt, he launched himself up into the tree, bounding from branch to branch until he perched atop it. He glanced around as the tree rocked back and forth in the breeze. He could see forests, mountains, and beaches, but no path of destruction from the tornado. Shading his eyes, he took another look around for fires or buildings of any sort, but nothing jumped into sight.

Frustrated, he glanced down at the girl waiting on the ground. He stared for a long moment, his frustration increasing.

Kagome leaned against the tree truck, arms folded, and waited. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the rough bark.__

_Okay, relax. I'm sure Inuyasha will find some way of getting home. After all, he's a **dog** demon. He should be able to find the way back, right?_

She opened her eyes and straightened as Inuyasha dropped down beside her. His grim expression didn't help her spirits.

"No good. I couldn't see a trail anywhere." Scowling, he ran a hand through his hair. "Hell, I couldn't even find a _village_."

Kagome took another deep breath. _Don't worry. Don't._ "Well…I'm sure if we start walking, we'll run into someone eventually."

"Yeah…" Inuyasha slid his arms into his sleeves and looked off to the side, a sour expression on his face. Intrigued by his silence, Kagome leaned forward to get a closer look at his face.

"What's the matter?" She raised her eyebrows when he frowned and flicked his eyes to her, his face still tilted away. "What?"

"What the hell is with that outfit, anyway?"

She blinked. "Huh?" Glancing down, she took in her clothing. _Well, it's not my school uniform, but it's not like I'm running around nude. What's his problem??_ Looking back up, she planted her hands on her hips and frowned. "What's the matter with it?"

"Nothing, if you want to run around half dressed."

"What do you _mean_, 'half dressed'? I'm just as covered as I would be in my school uniform!" She huffed as he let out a _feh_ and turned away. "Why you…"

Turning on her heel, she stalked towards her backpack. Inuyasha watched silently as she tied the broken straps together and slung them over her shoulder. She turned back to him and glowered, the backpack resting against her hip. 

"Well? Are we going or not?"

"Whatever." _Dammit, she's going to be hit on by every guy in the area in that getup. _Scowling, he turned his back to her and squatted. "Just shut up and get on."

She walked over to him, but she paused before climbing onto his back. Inuyasha glared at her over his shoulder, irritated by her thoughtful expression.

"Come _on_. If we're going to find a village before sundown, we need to move." He growled. "Pick another time to be dumb as a rock!"

She smiled sweetly. "So first I'm dressed like a whore, and now I'm an idiot?"

He blushed. "Now hang on a minute! I didn't say you were dressed like a—"

"Sit!!"

"Oomph!!!"

She turned her sunny smile down on him. "I think we can rest for a few minutes first."

*          *          *

Sweat rolled down the side of Sango's face as she leaned forward on Kirara.

"Inuyasha!! Kagome!!" Her yell echoed back to her, but no response came from the forest below. "Can you hear me?? Inuyasha!!"

She stiffened as a hand dropped on her shoulder. "I don't want to hear it, Houshi."

Miroku sighed, leaving his hand on her shoulder. "Sango, we've been searching for hours. We need to rest."

She shrugged his hand off. "I'm not resting until I find them!" _I've already lost a brother. I won't lose my friends!!_

"Be reasonable, Sango!" His harsh tone made her glance back at him in surprise. His normally passive face looked set in stone for an instant before it softened. "You won't do them any good if you wear yourself out. Please, let Kirara land so we can rest."

Sango opened her mouth to argue, but the weary look in his eyes gave her pause. She glanced down at Shippo, who had snuggled into her lap and fallen asleep, a frown on his tiny face and tear streaks on his cheeks. With a sigh, she rubbed a hand against Kirara's mane.

"All right, Kirara. Let's take a break."

The cat demon let out a soft huff of agreement and drifted to the ground. It wasn't until Sango climbed off Kirara's back that the pain and tension from the ordeal came back.

"Ow!!" Gasping in pain, Sango started to collapse. She blinked as two arms immediately wrapped around her waist to support her. She glanced up into Miroku's tired smile.

"See? I told you that you needed to rest." His smile grew when a blush set her face aflame. "Let's take a look at your injuries, shall we?"

She started to nod when his hand started to slide upwards. Anger rolling through her, she lifted a trembling fist. "You…you…"

Miroku smiled briefly before wincing in anticipation.

"PERVERT!!"__

_WHAM!_

Ten minutes later, with a tremendous red mark on his face, Miroku smiled to himself and sat with his arms folded in his lap. Sango glared at him over her shoulder as she wrapped a gash on her leg.

"Stupid lecher."

He continued to smile.

*          *          *

Inuyasha leapt aimlessly through the trees, Kagome on his back. The afternoon sun shone lazily down on the pair as they traveled in silence.

It was reaaaaaaaally starting to get on his nerves.

After a few minutes, he growled and glanced over his shoulder at the girl behind him.

"Oh come on, are you _still_ mad??"

She pressed her lips together. 

He groaned. "You already sat me for it, so get _over_ it already!"

"Oh, you're one to talk." She leaned over him slightly to look into his face. "I can recall _plenty_ of times you've held a grudge. I think I'm entitled!"

"Feh." He tossed his head slightly. "Stupid wench." _At least she's talking again. It's just too weird when that loudmouth is silent._

Kagome opened her mouth to snipe at him, but she let out a gasp of surprise instead, leaning forward to point ahead.

"Look! Villagers!"

Blinking, Inuyasha watched as a small group of travelers appeared on a road before them. He felt a smirk cross his face.

"_Finally_. Now maybe we can find out where that twister took us!" He dropped down onto the road for another leap, his feet scuffing the dirt road. At the sound, the four villagers turned to look at them, their hands fingering the straps of the massive packs on their backs. The entire group stilled and stared as Inuyasha came bearing down on them, Kagome's head peeping over his shoulder.

Slowly, one traveler's hand rose, a finger extended towards the pair. Inuyasha's smirk disappeared. _What the heck is his problem?_

"IT'S A TWO-HEADED DEMON!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!"

Inuyasha came to a stop in the middle of the road as the group scattered, the men vanishing into the trees while screaming at the tops of their lungs. The hanyou stood dumbly as the dust kicked up by sprinting feet settled about him.

"…Huh?"

After a moment, Kagome giggled. "Well, at least we know we're still in Japan."

The mild shock on Inuyasha's face dissolved into a scowl as he glanced back at her. "A fat lot of good THAT does us. We still don't know where we are!"

"But we can find out if everyone speaks our language. If we'd ended up in, say, Russia, we couldn't even ask!"

He stared at her. "Ended up in who?"

She smiled wryly. "Never mind. Let's keep going, shall we?"

Frowning in confusion, Inuyasha prepared for a leap…

…_Rrrrrrummmmble._

Without warning, Inuyasha shrugged Kagome off his back. She looked at him in surprise as her feet hit the ground.

"Inuyasha, what…" She trailed off as the boy turned towards her and fixed her with an intense stare. A blush creeping onto her cheeks, she lifted a hand to her chest. "W-why are you looking at me that way?"

His lids lowered as he took another step closer, his right hand reaching for her waist. Kagome's blush burned brighter. _W-what's he doing??_

"Kagome…" 

She blinked as he started rifling through the pack on her hip.

"_Please_ tell me there's some—ah HAH! Bingo!" Inuyasha backed up and held up a cup of ramen in triumph. He grinned at her. "Let's eat!"

Her eye started to twitch. "All you wanted…was food?"

"Well, duh. I'm hungry!" He started going through her backpack again. "All right! You brought chips, too!"

"Inuyasha…"

He glanced up, a bag of potato chips wedged between his lips. "Hmmph?"

"SIT!!"

"Gak!"

After a moment, he peeled his head out of the dirt, potato chips smashed onto his face. "What the hell was that for??"

"You're a complete idiot!!" Kagome stormed to a little clearing by the side of the road and threw down her backpack. Pulling out her portable stove, she slammed it on the ground. _God, how big an idiot can I be? That jerk!_

Pushing himself off the ground, Inuyasha watched as she lit a match with a vengeance. "You're making food, right?"

She sighed. "Yes, Inuyasha. I'm making food," she glared at him, "before you bite my hand off."

"Well, hurry up then!" Flopping down beside her, he tossed the cup of ramen to her. He scooted slightly to the side away from her as she began to mutter under her breath. _What's **her** deal?_ Rolling his eyes, he snagged a can of soda out of her bag and popped the top. _Women._

*          *          *

Two inhaled cups of ramen and a snarfed bag of potato chips later, Inuyasha declared himself ready for travel. 

"Well, you can hold on a minute. I'm not done eating." Just to irritate him, Kagome slooooowly slurped her noodles. Inuyasha dug his hands into his sleeves and glowered.

"Can you hurry up? I'd like to find a village before sundown, if you don't mind!"

"Is that so, Mr. I'm-hungry-therefore-we're-eating-NOW? You made us stop; you're going to wait. Not everyone can eat a whole bowl of ramen before the cup's even in their hands!" She watched as he opened his mouth to argue, then smiled as he shut it. "Now sit down and—oops!"

She winced as he went crashing headfirst into the ground. "I didn't mean that one, honest!"

A muffled growl came in reply. A black scowl on his face, Inuyasha didn't even bother getting up, opting instead to roll over and lay on his side away from her, propping his head up on his open hand. Kagome suppressed a smile at his muttered curses._ Even if I didn't mean it, it kind of serves him right._

A good half hour later, Kagome began to pack up all the stuff Inuyasha had looted from her bag as the hanyou in question fidgeted, his fingers tapping his bent knee. After making sure that nothing was left behind, she saddled the bag on her hip and stood.

Inuyasha looked coolly at her over his shoulder. "Finished yet?"

"Yep." She grinned down at him. "Now we can go."

"Ugh, _finally_." He grumpily stood and brushed himself off. Crouching, he glared at her as she climbed onto his back. "You realize that the sun is setting, right?"

"Mm-hmm." 

"Idiot."

"Moron."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

Frowning, Inuyasha took to the sky. Ignoring his bad attitude, Kagome glanced over her shoulder at the brilliant colors of the sky. She smiled softly as the two seemed to float through the hazy afternoon air.__

_You know, if he weren't so insensitive, he'd probably think this was romantic._ Shaking her head, she chuckled. _Of course, that would require a romantic bone in his body. Inuyasha wouldn't know sweet if it bit him on the butt._

Silent and moody, Inuyasha's eyes darted to the sunset, noting the brilliant red ball as it dripped down to the horizon. Try as he might, he couldn't suppress his next thought.__

_…It's almost as beautiful as Kagome._

*          *          *

Shippo gazed sadly into the fire as a group of caught fish roasted. Sighing, he tucked his legs up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and leaned his chin against his knees.

"I hope Kagome is all right," his miserable voice whimpered. Miroku glanced over at the tiny fox demon, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"I'm sure she's fine. Inuyasha won't let anything happen to her." Miroku smiled. "And even if something does happen, I'm sure Lady Kagome can handle it."

Sango glanced up from her crouch by the fire, a piece of firewood in her hand. "What do you mean by that, Houshi-sama?"

Miroku shifted, folding his arms over his chest. "I just think that perhaps we should give Lady Kagome some more credit. We all worry about her the most, yet she continues to show a surprising amount of strength."

Sango cracked the slightest of smiles. "You're right. She does." As she turned back to the fire, her smile faded._ I know Kagome is strong, but that doesn't ease my worries at all. I can't shake the feeling that she's in trouble!_

After a moment of contemplation, Sango tossed the log in her hand into the fire, watching it as flames hungrily consumed it. A sense of unease wriggled through her.

Miroku, picking up on the depressed state of his companions, tried to lighten the mood.

"Say, Shippo, aren't you worried about Inuyasha at all?"

The child blinked at him, one hand extended towards the fish. "Inuyasha?" Thoughtfully, Shippo stroked his chin. After a moment, he decisively snagged the fish and blew on it. "Nope. As long as he keeps Kagome safe, I'll feel fine. Besides…"

Flashing a smile, Shippo took a large bite out of the smoking fish. "He's not here to steal my food!"

Sango chuckled. "It's hard to seriously worry about Inuyasha. He gets _himself_ in so much trouble that you get used to it."

"And yet, thickheaded as he is, he somehow manages to get himself out of trouble again." Miroku smiled. "Perhaps we should worry more about Lady Kagome protecting _him!_"

The group laughed, their tension easing. 

*          *          *

Inuyasha sneezed as he forced his way through the darkened forest, Kagome trudging along behind him. Scowling, he swiped at his nose.

"Someone's talking about me, I know it!"

Kagome wearily rolled her eyes. "Relax, Inuyasha. And will you pick a camping place already? I'm exhausted!"

"Hmph." He ignored her statement, still shoving branches out of his way._ If I don't find a safe place, we're not camping out here. I haven't found a single spot that would be remotely defendable, much less a place where we could sense any danger._ He scowled. _Maybe I couldn't protect her from that damn tornado, but damned if I won't protect her now!_

With a final shove, Inuyasha stumbled into a small clearing. Tall trees shielded it from the sky, and thick grasses provided a soft cushion beneath. Perfect.

"All right, we're staying here." He blinked as Kagome shoved him aside.

"_Finally!_ You've dragged us so far into this forest that we might as well have continued until we found a village!" Heaving a weary sigh, she tossed her heavy pack on the ground and flopped down next to it. She pulled out her sleeping bag and unrolled it onto the soft grass.

Irritated by her attitude, Inuyasha decided to pick a fight with her. "You know, would it kill you to show a little…" He trailed off when she looked up, absolute exhaustion painted on her face. Swallowing his words, he folded his arms and turned away.

"Just…just get some sleep. First thing in the morning, we're on the move, you got that?"

No response.

Inuyasha turned at her silence and looked at the girl. His expression softened. Curled into a little ball, the girl had already fallen asleep on her open sleeping bag. Her hair fanned out about her head, one hand curled beside her cheek.

With a sigh, Inuyasha bent down and pulled the sleeping bag cover over her. He watched her sleeping face, reaching out with one clawed hand until he barely skimmed her cheek._ This whole ordeal must have worn her out. She didn't even show it until now._

After a moment, Inuyasha checked to make sure she wasn't exposed to the cool night air and settled himself across the clearing from her. Arms folded, he watched her in the moonlight streaming in through the trees.

Eventually, Inuyasha let his eyes drift closed. _Don't worry, Kagome. I'm here for you. _He stifled a yawn and leaned against the trunk of a tree. _I'll get you home safe. I promise._

_…I promise._


	3. South Side vs West Side

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* * *

Author's note: Ok, I'm sorry to say this, but I've ditched the old story line. It didn't really interest me and wasn't as much fun to write, so this chapter signals the new line. The fluffy parts I'm keeping, so you'll notice that those parts are the same. The rest has changed.**

**

* * *

**

The wind rustled through the trees in the early morning light, signaling the start of a new day. A lone creature lay on his back on a thick branch, staring irritably at the sunrise. Right on schedule, his stomach growled.

Sighing, he dropped to the ground, his feet hitting the dirt soundlessly. He paused, sniffing at the air.

"Interesting." Slowly, a smirk spread across his face. A tantalizing scent wafted through the air. "It's been a while since I've run into one of those."

Crouching, he slunk through the still forest.

The hunt had begun.

* * *

Inuyasha flinched, his eyes snapping open.

"What the…?" He blinked blearily at the morning light. Birds flitted from treetop to treetop, their song filling the gentle morning air. Dew on the grass sparkled merrily.

His gut was churning.

Uneasy, he rose to his feet and made his way over to Kagome's huddled form. The girl was curled into a tiny ball, her sleeping bag in jumbled disarray. A tiny frown marred her face.

He gripped her shoulder and shook. "Hey! Kagome, wake up. We're leaving."

"Mmph. Cows ate my homework…" She mumbled incoherently and rolled onto her back. Inuyasha smirked and shook her harder.

"Wake up, moron." He stilled when her eyes cracked open and gazed at him. "C'mon, get off your big butt and…"

Inuyasha trailed off when she mumbled under her breath and reached for him. "Wh-what are you doing?"

A tiny smile on her face, Kagome clapped both hands on the sides of his head and tugged…

…And pressed his face into her chest.

"Wh-mmmph!!!" Inuyasha's face turned bright red, his arms flailing._ W-what the hell is going on?? Is she awake??_

"Mm, Shippo, there you are. I was wondering where you went…" Her voice lowering into a sleepy murmur, she fell into a deeper sleep. Seconds later, she began snoring softly.

Ears twitching frantically, Inuyasha tried to remove his head from her iron grip. _Oh man, oh man, oh man. What am I supposed to do?? _He managed to slip his head partly free, but Kagome simply locked both arms about his head and rolled onto the side facing him.

Inuyasha whimpered, his face turning purple. _If she wakes up, I'm a dead man. End of story. _Cautiously, he tried to pry her arms off his head without waking her. _It's a good thing that monk isn't here. He'd have a field day with **this**._

At the added pressure on her arm, Kagome tightened her grip. Inuyasha's heart started pounding in his chest. Attempting to keep a grip on his brain, he analyzed his situation: something ominous was in the woods, they could possibly be in danger, he had his face smothered in Kagome's chest (which actually wasn't so bad), Kagome was probably going to kill him when she woke up, and worst of all…

…He couldn't breathe.

Abruptly, Kagome released him and rolled away from him, murmuring something about yellow elephants and geometry. Inuyasha flung himself away from her and pressed a hand to his burning face. He struggled to get a hold of himself._ Ok, calm down. It's not that big a deal! I mean, who the hell cares if you had your face in…in Kagome's…_ His blush increased._ Damn._

When he eventually managed to get his heartbeat and breathing under control, he snagged a nearby stick and started poking her.

"I said get UP!" She didn't reply, making him scowl and rap her harder with the stick. No WAY was he getting that close to her again. Inuyasha growled at her lack of response.

"Kagome, WAKE! UP!!"

"…Sit boy."

As Inuyasha hit the dirt, Kagome yawned and sat up, stretching her arms over her head. Scratching her head, she blinked sleepily at him.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing down there?"

_That does it! _His muted growl was her response until he could pry his head out of the ground. A tremendous scowl marred his still-red face.

"DAMMIT WOMAN! I've had ENOUGH of your crap!!" Spitting dirt out of his mouth, he lumbered to his feet. "We're leaving. MOVE IT."

Kagome blinked up at him in surprise. "What's your problem?? Get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

Folding his arms in his sleeves, he turned his back on her. Try as he might, he couldn't get that previous…encounter out of his head. He scowled and snapped at her over his shoulder, his face still burning.

"Just get your ass up." He sobered slightly, glancing at the woods. "Something's not right out there. We gotta move."

Kagome blinked at him in surprise, then gathered her things without complaint. Shrugging her "remodeled" backpack onto her shoulder, she climbed onto Inuyasha's back and let him take off.__

_Something must be wrong if he doesn't even want breakfast first. I'd better not argue._ Tightening her grip on his shoulders, she leaned to glance into his face. His red face confused her. Was he mad about something?

"Inuyasha, did something happen before I woke up?"

His foot slipped on his next landing, and he stumbled into his next leap. "W-what makes you think that?"

"Well, you seem upset. _Did_ something happen?"

He turned his face away from her. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I d-didn't do a damn thing." He mistook her silence for suspicion, and he scowled. "Besides, it's not like it was my fault! _You're_ the one who—"

"What are you talking about?" she interrupted, voice filled with confusion. "I thought you said something was in the forest, did something…?"

His eyes widened. "Wait. You're talking about the forest?"

"Yeah. What were _you_ talking about??"

"N-nothing." Inuyasha mentally berated himself. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID!_ "I, uh, sensed some evil energy in the forest first thing this morning. It gave me a really bad feeling."

"You think we were in danger?"

He hesitated. "Maybe. I can't be sure." Shrugging, he dropped to the ground and took a few running steps before leaping again. "We should be fine once we reach the road."

Nodding, Kagome gently tightened her grip on his shoulder. "Still…what happened that _you_ were talking about? What was my fault?"

She watched his blush reach around his face. Frowning, she leaned forward. "Inuyasha, what are you hiding from me?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment the hair on the back of his neck began to rise. He ground to a halt, every muscle in his body tensing.

Kagome frowned in concern. "Inuyasha, what's the matter?"

"Shhh." Ears twitching, he glanced at the trees around him. Cautiously, he took one, then two steps downwind. He stilled, but no noise sounded in the woods aside from the gently crashing leaves. His heart started pounding as he slowly began to walk forward.

Something in the forest moved with him.

Swallowing hard, he changed his pace, first walking, then running, and then walking again.

"Inuyasha," Kagome asked with a hushed voice. "What are you doing?"

He hesitated before replying.

"We're being hunted."

"What do you mean, we're being hunted??"

"Keep your voice down!" Irritated and nervous, Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at the thick underbrush. "Something is following us." All of his instincts were screaming at him. "I'm sure of it."

Kagome bit her lip. "Do you know what it is?"

Scowling, he started walking again. He kept his ears trained behind him. "No, I don't know what it is. The damn thing is downwind from us. I can't catch its scent."

Coming to a dead stop, Inuyasha released a low growl from his throat. His fingers tightened on Kagome's legs.

"Kagome, hang on tight."

She tightened her grip on his shoulders. "O-Ok."

Shifting her position on his back, Inuyasha crouched…

And took off.

Feeding adrenaline into his system, Inuyasha hurled himself at a tremendous oak, lifted his feet, and launched himself into a back flip. Kagome buried her face in his neck as they flipped upside down.

Landing on one foot, Inuyasha charged in the opposite direction. A black scowl covered his face.__

_So he wants to hunt me? Screw that! Let's see how he holds up one-on-one!_ The trees raced by as he flew through the woods. Abruptly, a scent passed his nose.

"THERE you are!" Inuyasha pivoted and swung his weight backwards to change his momentum. A dark shape leapt out the way, obviously trying to remain unseen. Growling, Inuyasha pushed Kagome off his back.

"Stay out the way, Kagome!" When she nodded, he ripped Tetsusaiga out of its sheath. "Get out here, you jerk!"

Lifting his sword, Inuyasha aimed at the trees. "Kaze no Kizu!!"

As the trees exploded in light, a dark shape leapt over the blast and landed behind Inuyasha. Inuyasha spun about, his sword at the ready.

"Who the hell are you??"

Slowly, the demon straightened. Massive muscles bunched under orange and black fur as the tiger demon growled down at Inuyasha. Standing bare from the waist up, the demon wore a black cloth wrapped tight around its waist with a sword nestled on its hip. A lithe tail flicked back and forth behind him.

Fangs glinting, the demon smirked. "My name is Kaijin." He lifted a clawed hand and cracked it menacingly. "Though I don't expect you to remember that."

"Feh." Inuyasha lifted his sword. "You were doing a pretty bad job of hunting if you were caught by your prey."

The smirk dropped right off the tiger's face. "Shut the hell up." Kaijin took a step forward, his claws extended. "I've hunted far stronger demons than you."

"Hunted maybe, but let's see you catch me!" Wind swirled about Inuyasha's sword as he pulled it back. "Kaze no Kizu!"

Kaijin threw himself out of the way of the blast, landing with grace in a nearby tree. Smirking, he dodged as Inuyasha launched another, then another blast at him.

"Dammit, cut that out!" _Why can't I hit him??_ Inuyasha swung back his sword as the tiger raced through the air again. "Why don't you try this o—"

Inuyasha found himself cut off as Kaijin turned towards him on a branch and lifted his claws.

"Kasai Tessou!"

Orange arcs of _ki_ slashed through the air and caught fire. Eyes wide, Inuyasha threw himself to the dirt as the fiery blades exploded in the ground about him. One blade nicked him in the side.

His mind was racing._ How the hell did he do that?? That attack was just like mine!_ Ears tweaking, Inuyasha grunted and lifted himself onto one arm, then hurled himself forward to escape another volley of blades.

Landing on his feet, Inuyasha started to swing Tetsusaiga again, but the tiger jumped down and snagged his wrist. Kaijin grinned into Inuyasha's face.

"It's been so long since I've eaten a dog demon, let alone one that's half human." He started to laugh, wrenching Inuyasha's hand until he was forced to drop Tetsusaiga. The hanyou growled violently.

"You think you've won, Smartass?" Inuyasha smirked, pressing his free hand against his wound. Kaijin frowned at him.

"What did you just call m—"

"HIJIN KESSOU!!" Inuyasha hurled a volley of red blades at the tiger demon at point-blank range.

"Graaaaaaaaagh!!" Howling in pain, Kaijin fell back. He glared at Inuyasha as the hanyou bent to retrieve his sword. "How DARE you!"

Kaijin's eyes widened as Inuyasha leveled the sword on him again._ Damn! I won't have time to dodge!_ Acting quickly, he reached for his own sword.

Eyes glinting, Inuyasha swung. "Kaze no…"__

_CRASH!!_

Inuyasha's jaw dropped as his sword was parried…by a nearly identical blade.

Kaijin scowled, holding up his tremendous black sword. Its blade had started out small and rusted, but in a burst of red flames, it grew to match Tetsusaiga's length. The blades howled as they ground against each other.

"How…the hell…did you do that?" Inuyasha ground out as he struggled to hold Tetsusaiga. Kaijin growled at him.

"My father was Lord of the Southern Lands. He commissioned a sword smith to make me, his only son, a weapon worthy of our line." He frowned down at Inuyasha's sword. "But from the shape of yours, I'd say yours was made from a Taiyoukai as well."

Inuyasha snorted. "What a coincidence. My _father_ was Lord of the Western Lands. He donated his fang for this sword and left it to me."

Kaijin blinked, then eased up on the pressure. As one, the two adversaries lowered their weapons.

"Wait a minute." Kaijin cocked his head to the side. "Don't tell me that the man who forged your sword was an old bat named Totosai."

Inuyasha smirked. "Huh. What a coincidence." He hefted his sword, his eyes glinting. "Let's see just how _tough_ yours is!"

Kaijin let out a bark of laughter, lifting his own blade. "I was about to say the same to you!!"

With similar cries, the two raced towards each other.

* * *

Miroku yawned mightily in the morning light, stretching his arms over his head.

"Honestly, Sango, must we leave so early?" He sighed when she glared at him. "Look, I'm just as worried about Inuyasha and Kagome as you are, but I don't think we'll do them a lot of good. If we go looking for them, and they look for us, we might not find each other. If, instead, we go back to Lady Kaede's village, they—"

"Look, if you want to go back to Kaede, you can go. All I know is," she leapt onto Kirara, "I'm going to find them!"

Miroku sighed and gathered up the still-sleeping Shippo. "Then we're going with you." He watched her warily. _It's not like Sango to be so reckless. If we don't go with her, she could get herself into serious trouble._ Placing an easy smile on his face, he seated himself behind Sango. _Besides, if I let her go on alone, how would I get back? Not to mention the…_ His gaze traveled down her back. _…Perks of going with her._

Sango wrestled with a vague sense of guilt. She glanced over her shoulder at him as Kirara leapt into the air.

"Houshi-sama…I'm sorry. I know you mean well, but…I can't help worrying about them."

He lifted his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled. "No apology is necessary, Lady Sango. I'll just have to make sure you don't worry too much." His smile grew when she started to blush. "Someone needs to look after you, after all…"

Sango allowed a small smile to cross her face as she turned to face forward. _He cares about me?_ Her smile fell when a familiar hand began to rub her bottom. Closing her eyes, she let her hand curl into a fist. _So much for **that** thought!_

She turned towards him, her fist unfolding.

"You PERVERT!"

_SLAP!_

Stars wheeling in his vision, Miroku lifted a hand to his stinging cheek and winced. He struggled to keep his balance as they flew through the air, his expression sober. __

_I **will** look after you, Sango. Make no mistake of that._

He fell into silence as they headed towards the mountains.

The search for their friends had begun.

* * *

Kagome folded her arms and watched the ensuing fight, which was less than a fight than a light show. The two demons just kept swinging their swords, running from the attacks, and then swinging again.

"KAZE NO KIZU!"

Kaijin dodged the attack, then froze, eyes narrowing. Twisting, he seemed to line up a shot.

"REIKI NO CHI!"

Kagome's jaw dropped as the air around Inuyasha erupted into red flames. Yelping in pain, the half demon dropped to the ground.

"Inuyasha!" She started to run forward. "Inuyasha!!"

As the flames dispersed, crackles of red electricity hovered about Inuyasha's prone form. His clothes were burned and shredded.

Groaning, Inuyasha lifted his head. _Gods, that hurt!_ Ignoring the pain screaming through his body, he rose to his hands and knees.__

_K-chink._

Inuyasha stilled as the tremendous black sword swung towards him, pausing when its tip grazed his nose. He glanced up at Kaijin's calm face.

"You put up a good fight, half demon, but you lack skill." He lifted his sword and narrowed his eyes. "Die."

"NO!!"

Kagome launched herself forward and stood protectively before Inuyasha, her hands spread wide. "Don't even _think_ about touching him!!"

Kaijin blinked at her and frowned. "A human girl? Do you really think you can protect him?"

"I do and I will!" Lifting her chin defiantly, she glared Kaijin in the eye. "Just try and get past me!"

"Kagome, are you _nuts?!?_" Inuyasha struggled to his feet and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "He'll kill you!!"

She spun around and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, so I'm supposed to just abandon you, is that it??"

"No, dammit, you're supposed to stay back and let ME handle things!"

Kaijin lowered his sword and scratched the back of his head. "Um…"

"Let you handle things? You're the one who ran straight into this fight! Am I supposed to sit back and watch you get killed??"

Kaijin lifted a hand. "Excuse me…"

Incensed, Inuyasha put his face in Kagome's. "Are you saying you think I'm going to lose??"

"It's a possibility!!" Her voice wavered, and her face crumpled. "I can't just stand by and watch you get hurt!"

Inuyasha reared back as angry tears welled up in Kagome's eyes._ She's not going to cry, is she??_ Panic began swimming around in his throat.

"H-Hey, don't do that. Don't you dare cry!"

She scowled at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Who said anything about crying, you jerk!"

"EXCUSE ME!!"

Both the hanyou and the girl turned to face a disgruntled tiger demon. Kaijin's blade rested on the ground next to an impatiently tapping foot.

Scowling, the demon placed a hand on his hip. "May I PLEASE get a word in edgewise??" He waited as they stared at him. "Thank you."

His smirk returning to his face, Kaijin lifted his sword and locked eyes with Kagome. "Girl, I don't know who you think you are, but you're a fool. Do you honestly think you can hold up against my sword's attack?"

After a moment of silence, Kagome strode right up to him and glared him in the eye, planting her hands on her hips.

"And I don't know who you think _you_ are, but you're nuts if you think I'm going to let you hurt Inuyasha." Her eyes narrowed at the surprised expression on his face. "In fact, I think you're stupid for even taking him on!"

Inuyasha blinked. _Wait a minute. Wasn't she just saying a second ago that she thought I would lose?_

Kaijin scowled at the girl standing before him. "Then maybe I should give _you_ a taste of my sword's power!" Lifting his blade, he narrowed his eyes. "Reiki no…"

"Do and die!!" Ignoring his wounds, Inuyasha raced forward and snatched Kagome out of the way. "Why you little…how dare you even THINK about using that attack on…" Trailing off, Inuyasha took in the horror dawning on Kaijin's face.

"What's your problem?"

"The attack won't work on her." Swallowing hard, he took a step back. "Girl, you wouldn't happen to be a…a miko, would you?"

When she nodded, the tiger dropped his sword and staggered back. "Y-you're a miko??"

"Yes," Kagome replied slowly. Kaijin's face paled beneath his fur.

Without warning, the demon dropped to his knees and bowed. "S-Sorry for bothering you!!" He glanced up, eyes wide with terror. "Forgive me!!"

With that, he snagged his sword, leapt to his feet, and took off at a dead run.

"H-Hey!" Scowling, Inuyasha quickly sheathed Tetsusaiga and raced after him. "Come back here!!"

The leaves rustled in the suddenly empty clearing as Kagome stood in shock.

"…What just happened here?" Abruptly, she shook her head. "Hey!"

Gritting her teeth, she turned and ran after the boys.

"That JERK! He left me behind!!!"

* * *

**I like this version a lot better. This fic is going for humorous more than anything other than romance, so I'll be more interested in it.**

**This is also where we leave Sango and Miroku. I'll write a parallel story later for their adventures during this time aloooooooone. Lol.**

**Fyi: Kasai Tessou means claws of fire and Reiki no Chi means Aura's Blood. (more or less. If someone takes japanese grammer and I'm wrong, please email me!!) Japanese names for attacks just sound cooler than the English version.**

**Ja ne!**


	4. Mudslingers

**Author's note: Ok, chapter two of the new version. I hope you like it! **

**Please leave me a note, email, review, something. I need to know if the new version is working better (I think so, but I want to know what you guys think). **

**If you don't already know, I rewrote chap 3 as well as this one. The plot is different, so if you haven't already checked it out, please do so. **

**I ran out of time to write the fifth chapter before my trip to England. I won't be back until August, but when I come back I'll bust my butt to get it to you guys. Sorry for the wait.**

**This chapter is ThingIshNess tested, Jay approved.**

**Review!!!**

* * *

Inuyasha growled as he followed the tiger's scent. "What the hell is the matter with him? Why did he take off when he found out that Kagome's a priestess?" 

A large pillar rose up before him, blocking his path. Slowing down, Inuyasha spotted Kaijin crouched before the pillar, arms folded over his knees and head tucked down. The cat's black ears twitched as the dog demon approached.

Lifting his head, Kaijin glared speculatively at his adversary. "You came alone?"

"What's your deal, Cat Brain?" Inuyasha cracked his claws. "Why would you run from Kagome, you coward!"

"None of your damn business." Growling, Kaijin leapt to his feet and unsheathed his sword. "Still, she's not here and I still need to eat."

Inuyasha snorted and drew his own sword. "You still think you can beat me?"

"I knocked you down before, Dog Butt."

"That was a lucky shot!" He growled. "Just try that damn move again!"

"My pleasure!" Kaijin watched the aura spilling forth from the demon before him. Sending waves of heat down his blade, he started to swing…

"Inuyasha, you jerk!!"

Kaijin dropped his sword.

Face red, Kagome burst through the trees, ran up to Inuyasha, and slapped him upside the head.

"How could you leave me behind like that, you creep??"

Scowling, Inuyasha turned towards Kaijin, who was slowly backing away. "Kagome, just stay out of this, ok?" He stepped towards the cowering tiger. "You wuss! Stay here and fight me!!"

Eyes flashing, the tiger's gaze snapped back to Inuyasha. "No one calls me a wuss. No one!" He raced forward, claws extended. "Kasai Tessou!"

Inuyasha dodged the attack, but Kaijin bounded off a tree trunk, landed in front of him, and slammed him with his shoulder.

"Oomph!" Inuyasha flew back and crashed into a tree. Grunting, he rose to his feet. _Why the hell is he so strong?? He should just be another demon!_

As if reading his thoughts, Kaijin smirked. "It'll be a sad day when a _tiger_ can't beat a mangy mutt." Retrieving his sword, he aimed at Inuyasha, but he hesitated. "You know, I really don't prefer my meat roasted." He tilted his head to the side. "If I tried to lop off your head, would you hold still?"

"Like hell I will!!" The wind scar forming about his blade, Inuyasha ran forward. "Kaze no…"

"Hold it!!" Hands up, Kagome walked between the startled demons. Sighing, she looked back and forth at them. "This seems a little pointless. Inuyasha, Kaijin's too fast for you to hit, so using the same move over and over isn't going to work." She ignored him when he growled furiously and glanced at the tiger. Kaijin flinched.

"And you, you're only attacking Inuyasha because you're hungry, right?"

"Technically…" he mumbled. Kagome clapped her hands and smiled.

"Well then, let's fix that." Rummaging through her backpack, she pulled out three cups of pork ramen and her portable stove.

Inuyasha sputtered. "You're not going to give him OUR food, are you??" Striding forward, he snatched the cups away. "No way!! He can fend for himself!"

"Fending for himself sent him after you, Inuyasha." Rolling her eyes, she lit her stove, added water to one of the cups, and set it atop the fire. "I'd rather he ate some of this than ate some of you."

"Feh. Like he'd get the chance." Glowering, Inuyasha handed the food back to Kagome. "What a waste of food."

Kaijin stared down at the miko._ She's making food for me? I attacked her companion, and yet she's going to feed me._ Slowly, he sank to the ground, his eyes wide. _I've never heard of this happening before._

After a few minutes, Kagome removed the cup from the fire and handed it to the tiger with a pair of chopsticks.

"Here you go!" She smiled. "Hopefully you'll find ramen preferable to dog food."

"Hey!"

Kaijin glanced warily into the bowl of steaming noodles. _There's meat in here, but it's cooked. I hate it when my meat's cooked!_ Frowning, he snagged a few noodles with his chopsticks and placed them in his mouth.

Kagome watched as his eyes went wide, the noodles slowly slurping into his mouth. When he stilled, she smiled weakly.

"Do you…like them?"

Kaijin slowly looked down at the bowl. In the silence that followed, Kagome shifted uncomfortably.

"If you don't, I can make you something else."

He blinked.

"MARF! GLARGH," _slurp,_ "GACK MMF BLARM!"

Chopsticks blurring, Kaijin shoveled the meat and noodles into his gaping mouth. Steam escaped from his lips as he smacked and slurped. Within seconds, the bowl was empty.

Kagome chuckled weakly. "I guess you like ramen."

Kaijin glanced up at her, his eyes wide. "These noodles are delicious!! Even the meat was good!" He stared forlornly into his empty cup. "I've never had anything so exquisite!"

After a moment, Kaijin gasped, set the cup aside, and bowed. "Thank you, my lady! I owe you a debt of gratitude."

Inuyasha growled, sliding his arms into his sleeves. "Yeah, great. Since you've eaten, why don't you beat it?"

Kaijin sat up and glared at him. "Why don't you shut your yap, Dog Butt? You should be grateful to the lady. One more hit with my 'Aura's Blood' attack, and you'd have been a goner."

"Hah! Your attack wasn't _that_ strong!" _I felt like my blood was on fire!_ "I could easily take it _and_ your sword down!"

Smirking with a cockiness he didn't feel, Inuyasha aimed his sword at the pillar behind them. "One hit with my Wind Scar, and you'd cease to exist!" He lifted his sword. "Check this out!"

Kaijin glanced at him, then at the pillar he was aiming for. His jaw dropped.

"NO! DON'T HIT—"

"KAZE NO KIZU!!"

With one swing, the stone pillar shattered, the trees around it vaporizing.

"…That."

Grinning, Inuyasha sheathed his sword and turned to Kaijin. "See? I could split a mountain with that attack, much less a weakling like you!"

As if in shock, Kaijin slowly rose to his feet. "Inuyasha, you really shouldn't have done that." He staggered over to the pillar. It had been sliced into three, the center slice standing straight up while the two sides slowly tipped over and crashed to the ground. Kaijin glanced back at Inuyasha.

"Do you have any idea what you've done??" Rubbing his hand over his face, Kaijin shook his head. "You just destroyed a sacred monument. This pillar," he gestured at the broken rock, "was built to recognize the Fox Goddess. Now that you've destroyed it…"

He glanced at the dog demon. "She'll be after you for the rest of your life."

* * *

Deep in the mountains, a woman stirred from a deep sleep. Yawning, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. 

"What on earth? I was supposed to sleep for a hundred years, not fifty!" She stood groggily, her puffy tail twitching as her ornate dress floated about her feet. Stretching, she walked towards a dark mirror upon the wall.

"All right. Who did it?" Peering into the glass, she watched as her sacred pillar swam into focus, cracked and broken. The view swung to reveal a boy with white hair, who was being berated by a young tiger demon.

"So that little upstart thinks he can just destroy my monument, does he?" Smirking, she conjured a black quill pen and began doodling on her palm. The ink burning a bright red on her skin, she pressed her hand to the mirror.

"Consider yourself marked, little man." She began to laugh.

"This should be fun."

* * *

Scowling, Inuyasha strode towards the pillar. "Look, I didn't know it was sacred, but if you want, I'll do something to appease the Fox Goddess. It's not that big a deal, right?" He laid his right hand on the cool stone. 

"I'm sure she has better things to do than wreck vengeance on me-OW! OW OW OW, DAMMIT! THAT HURTS!!!"

Howling in pain, Inuyasha pried his hand free of the rock and cradled it with his other arm. Curses streamed out of his mouth.

"Inuyasha! What happened?" Concerned, Kagome rushed to his side and took his injured hand. She stared. "What…the…heck?"

Inuyasha followed her gaze and stared down at his palm.

Two closed, upturned eyes sat directly upon a wide, toothy grin in the center of his hand. The doodle appeared to be burned into his skin.

Kaijin sighed. "Congratulations, Dog Butt. You've been marked by the Fox Goddess."

"Marked?" Wincing, Inuyasha shook his hand in the air. "What the hell does that mean?"

"That means that she's going to prank you until she's appeased." He rolled his eyes. "She is a _fox_ goddess, after all."

"She's going to prank Inuyasha for revenge?" Kagome ran a hand through her hair and frowned. "That doesn't sound very threatening."

"Trust me, it's worse than it sounds." Kaijin sighed heavily and sat down. "I've seen it before. She starts out with harmless little pranks, but…"

Inuyasha growled. "Let's just see her try it!"

"I never said she has to do it in person, Dog Butt. So long as you wear that mark, she can do whatever she wants to you." He glanced at Kagome. "It probably wouldn't be wise to travel with him anymore, my lady."

"Feh. I'll keep Kagome safe. And stop calling me Dog Butt, you sad _excuse for…a…_" Inuyasha's eyes went wide as he lifted his burning hand to his throat.

"_What the hell's wrong with my voice??_"

Kagome smothered a smile. "You…you sound like a little girl!" When Inuyasha's face turned bright red, laughter started bubbling out of her mouth.

Kaijin remained serious. "Look, her pranks may be childish now, but—"

"_Damn right they are! What kind of person…_" Blushing furiously, he balled his fists as Kagome erupted with laughter. "_Stop laughing at me! This isn't funny!_"

"I beg to differ." Kagome swiped tears out of her eyes. "It's very funny!"

Releasing a high-pitched growl, Inuyasha cracked his claws. "_If you don't stop laughing, I swear I'm gonna…_"

"What? Curtsy??" Kagome cracked up as Inuyasha cursed in his girlish voice.

"Actually, Lady Kagome, things aren't a laughing matter." Kaijin's serious expression broke through Kagome's mirth, and she stopped laughing.

Mortified, Inuyasha turned his back on her and folded his arms. The doodle glowed a fiery red on his palm. "_Damn that witch! I'm gonna get _her for this!" His hand cooled at the same instant his voice returned to normal. Growling, he turned back to his companions.

"Are you happy?? My voice is back to normal now!"

Kagome nodded, her eyes watering. "I-I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but that…that was so funny!!"

"I'm sure it was." He scowled furiously to cover his embarrassment.

Kaijin shook his head. "Although this may seem funny right now, Inuyasha is in grave danger. She'll pull little stunts like that, but when little stuff ceases to amuse her, she'll pull out the big guns." He frowned. "If we wait too long to appease her, she might kill Inuyasha just to get a laugh."

"Kill him??" Kagome's jaw dropped. "Are you serious??"

"Yes. It's not pretty." Grimacing, Kaijin looked off to the side. "I once saw a guy get turned inside—"

"Ok, we get the idea." Biting her lip, Kagome placed another cup of ramen on the stove. _Now I feel horrible for laughing_. "Is there any way to get her curse off Inuyasha?"

"Well…" Kaijin leaned thoughtfully against a tree trunk and rubbed his chin. "I suppose if we go to her shrine, we might be able to convince her to take it off."

"We? What we?" Fisting his marked hand, Inuyasha strode in front of Kaijin and glared him down. "No way in hell are you coming along."

Kaijin stared at him. "If I don't show you the way to the shrine, how are you going to find the Fox Goddess?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "Well, why the hell would you even want to take us there?"

Tilting his head, the tiger held a moment of silence. "Well, I have a couple reasons. One, it's _almost_ my fault that you're cursed in the first place; two, I owe Lady Kagome a favor; and three, I want to see if our swords hold any other secrets, since they're made by the same man for the same reasons." He glanced down at the hilt nestled against his side. "An expedition with you could prove invaluable."

Inuyasha scowled. "Thanks, but no thanks. Why don't you just tell us where the damn thing is, and we'll go on our own?"

"You'll probably end up pissing her off even more." Shaking his head, Kaijin straightened and smirked. "Looks like you've got a tour guide, Dog Butt, whether you want one or not."

Inuyasha sighed and glared at his marked hand. The idiotic grin on his palm mocked him. Slowly clenching his fist, he glanced up at the pair as Kagome handed him a freshly made cup of ramen.

"All right, let's get going then. What's the worst the Fox Goddess can do?"

* * *

An hour later, a very disgruntled Inuyasha trudged along a muddy trail, his hair matted to his head and his hand tingling. Heavy rain pelted his face, which only served to sour his expression even further. Kagome trotted alongside him, and Kaijin leapt from branch to branch high above. He always pulled slightly ahead and waited to see if they were following before continuing on. 

"Aw come on, Inuyasha. It's not _that_ bad, is it?" Umbrella held high over her head, Kagome smiled at him. "What's a little rain every now and then?"

He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "When that 'little rain' makes it impossible to make any real progress, it becomes a problem."

"Don't be such a baby. Besides, according to Kaijin, we have about a week to get to the shrine, and it's only a few days' walk away. We should get there before we hit any real problems."

"Easy for you to say," he muttered. Shaking his head roughly, he tried to remove at least some of the water from his hair. The weight of it was really starting to annoy him.

Kagome watched him for a long moment before she sighed and grabbed his arm.

"Just get over here, you moron." Ignoring his protests, she pulled him under her umbrella with her. Smiling, she kept her arm threaded through his. "Now at least you won't get any wetter."

Glancing down at their linked arms, Inuyasha blushed. He tried to pull away.

"I don't care if I get wet."

"Just humor me, ok?" She smiled when he gave up and started walking beside her, mumbling under his breath. "Good boy."

He glared silently at her for that. They fell into silence as they walked, their feet sloshing through the mud.

Inuyasha's blush slowly grew as they walked, his eyes darting to Kagome._ She's so close…_ He was surprised that she had actually kept her hold on his arm, even if it was loose. Shaking his head, he tried to stay alert, but every time he focused on the few scents that reached his nose in the rain, his arm would brush against her side and his thoughts scrambled.

He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. _Focus, man. Focus._

Kagome smiled softly to herself. _Once he shuts up, Inuyasha's pretty pleasant. _Her heart pounded gently in her chest as she shifted closer to him, trying to position the umbrella so that neither of them got wet. She dropped her gaze to the ground. _It's hard to remember the last time we were so close for so long. It's…nice._

Glancing up, Kagome noticed the blush on Inuyasha's cheeks and the slightly contorted expression on his face. The blush she could deal with, but that weird expression confused her._ Maybe he doesn't want to be so close to me?_

"Inuyasha?" Her slight frown grew when he didn't respond. "Inuyasha!"

"Huh?" Snapping out of his daze, he glanced down at Kagome's face. "What?"

"Are you ok? You looked…troubled."

He tossed his head. "It's nothing." Truth be told, he'd been daydreaming about her proximity and struggling not to, but no way in hell was he going to tell HER that. He shifted uncomfortably, distressed when his arm brushed her side again. With those tight clothes of hers… He swallowed hard and stared solemnly straight ahead.

Kagome frowned. _Something's bothering him, I'm sure of it._ "Inuyasha, are you _sure_ nothing's wrong?"

Clenching his teeth, he swung his head towards her. "I already told you, it's noth—!!"

At that moment, Kagome's shoes slipped in the mud. With a smothered yelp, she started to fall, the umbrella clattering to the ground.

Inuyasha's arms immediately wrapped tight about her waist and pulled her against him. Despite the rain, her scent wafted up to him. Heart pounding, he tightened his arms and looked down at her.

"You ok?" His voice lowered as he spoke, and he swallowed hard. Kagome slowly looked up at him, her hair slicked to her head by the rain. She blinked abruptly, as if mentally snapping out of it.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine." She glanced down at her umbrella, which was lolling about in the mud. "Sorry about that."

He snorted. "I should be used to it by now. You've always been a klutz."

"Excuse me?" She narrowed her eyes. "I'm _not_ a klutz."

"Are so! Every time I turn around, you're in trouble. That means you're either klutzy enough to stumble into trouble, or too dumb to figure out where you're supposed to go." He smirked down at her, amused when she scowled up at him.

"So I'm klutzy and stupid now?" She pushed away from him and planted her hands on her hips. "That's what you're saying?"

He folded his arms and grinned. "Yup."

"Hmph." She bent over, unknowingly causing Inuyasha's smile to drop right off his face. "I'll show _you._"

Inuyasha stopped paying attention, his gaze fixated on that tight top of hers. A blush returned to his cheeks. _Dammit…she's going to be the death of me. Maybe I should just find a tarp to throw over her…_

"Hey, Inuyasha!"

Guiltily, he looked up…

_Splat._

His features froze as a tremendous glob of mud worked its way down from his forehead. Slowly, he lifted a hand and wiped the mud from his face.

"You…did NOT just do that."

She smiled smugly at him. "Oh, I did. And you know what? I'll do it again!" With flair, Kagome wound up and launched another blob at his face, this time nailing him square in the nose.

Inuyasha calmly wiped the mud from his face and glared at her. "That does it." Leaning down, he swiped a handful of mud from the road.

"Inuyasha, you wouldn't really hit me, would you?" Kagome laughed nervously, backing away.

An evil smirk crossed Inuyasha's face.

"I-Inuyasha?"

_SPLAT!_

Shrieking, Kagome blocked her face as a huge glob of mud splattered her T-shirt. She gasped, looking down at herself.

"This was one of my favorite shirts!!" She scowled as he simply laughed at her. "Ooo, you—!" Squatting down, she grabbed two fistfuls of mud.

"Take this! And this!"

Still laughing, Inuyasha dodged the first shot, but the second caught him in the neck. Immediately, he scooped up a pile of mud, settled it in the crook of one arm, and threw fistfuls of it at Kagome.

Their shouts and laughs rang out as hundreds of mud pellets flew back and forth through the air. Before long, both were nearly caked in mud, and they slipped about as they scrambled for more ammo. After realizing that they were no longer following him, Kaijin crouched atop a branch and watched, a small smile on his face.

_So that's how things are, hmm?_ He chuckled. _Well, the stronger the fights…_

Scooping up a tremendous load of mud, Kagome raced forward and positioned it over Inuyasha's head. Thinking quickly, Inuyasha snagged her waist and hauled her close to him.

"You drop that, you get both…of…us…" He grin faded as he stared into her mud-splattered face. Her eyes were alight with laughter as she gazed back at him, arms high over her head. Slowly, as if by instinct, Inuyasha lifted his free hand and wiped away a glob of mud on her cheek.

Kagome caught her breath, suddenly aware of how close their faces were. She swallowed as he continued to gently wipe her face clean, her eyes trapped in his gaze.

"I…Inuyasha…" Her voice came out in a whisper. His eyelids lowered to half-mast, his gaze dropping slightly to her lips.

"Yeah…?" Not quite sure what he was doing, Inuyasha started to lean forward. Kagome's eyes drifted closed.

"What…are you…?" She trailed off as she tilted her chin upwards…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEEEEEEE!!"

Gasping, their eyes snapped open. Kagome jumped and dropped her arms to her sides.

_P-P-PLAPP!!_

She grinned sheepishly at Inuyasha as her mighty load of mud came crashing down on their heads.

"Oops."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha snagged her arm and started running through the woods. A frown marred his face as he ran._ Dammit…what the hell was I **thinking**?? Was I really about to…k-kiss Kagome? _He blushed furiously.

Kaijin leapt gracefully from branch to branch above them, easily keeping pace with Inuyasha. He glanced down at the half demon.

"Inuyasha, do you have the scent?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Inuyasha glanced up. "What are you talking about? In this rain, how can I catch the scent of…" He trailed off, his mood souring. _Don't tell me Cat Brain has a better nose than I do!!_ He scowled. _Dammit!_

Kagome glanced up at the tiger demon. "Kaijin, why don't you come down here? It'll get you there faster, I'm sure!"

The demon glanced down at the miko, but he quickly averted his eyes. "I'm fine up here, thanks."

Kagome frowned and started to reply, but Inuyasha squeezed her hand. "Forget him! We've got bigger problems to deal with."

As he spoke, a tremendous centipede rose up over the trees and let out a deafening screech. Several trees snapped and fell as its body wriggled about the forest floor.

"Help me! Someone, please help!"

Whinnying crazily, a horse bucked and darted beneath its unlucky rider. The man atop the horse struggled to notch an arrow to his bow while his horse went insane with fear. Hissing, the Centipede curled about him and bowed its head.

"Back off, slimeball!" Releasing Kagome's hand, Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga and started to aim for the demon. As he started to swing, the doodle on his hand caught fire.

"Kaze no—OOMPH!"

Gasping, Inuyasha let his blade sink to the ground. He struggled to lift it, but the blade remained on the ground.

"Oh, dammit to hell!!"

Rolling his eyes, Kaijin leapt down from the trees and unsheathed his own sword. Narrowing his eyes, he focused on the Centipede's aura.

"Hey, Inuyasha! Watch what a _real_ sword can do!!" Ignoring the boy's growl, Kaijin swung at the centipede and sent waves of heat down his sword. As the steel met the aura, the waves of heat sparked against the flow of power.

"Reiki no chi!!"

Within seconds, the demon's aura caught fire.

"GREEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAR!!"

Twisting horribly, the Centipede collapsed under its aura. It convulsed several times on the ground as the flames consumed its body. After a few moments, the flames died down, leaving red sparks of power leaping over a long trail of ashes.

Smirking, Kaijin sheathed his sword. "See, Dog Butt? It's simple."

"Shut the hell up!" As the heat faded from his hand, the rain ceased to fall and Tetsusaiga's sudden weight vanished. Inuyasha grumpily sheathed his sword. "If that damn goddess hadn't screwed with my sword, I would've take care of it!"

"She didn't screw with your sword, she screwed with your strength." Kaijin strode over to the dumbstruck villager and flashed a toothy smile at him. "Going somewhere?"

The man stared down at the demon for a long moment.

"Yaahhh! Tiger!!!" Terrified, the man tugged on his horse's reins and sped off into the woods, dropping his bow and arrows in the process. Kaijin blinked and slowly turned to face his companions.

"Was it something I said?"

"I think being grinned at by a tiger demon was enough," Kagome stated dryly. She walked over to the fallen bow and arrow, lifting an eyebrow when Kaijin skittered away as she approached.

"What exactly is your problem with me?"

Kaijin froze. "Problem?" Smiling sheepishly, he lifted a hand and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, to tell you the truth, it doesn't have much to do with you. It's just that…it's because you're…" He dropped his gaze and stared at the ground.

"A priestess?" Bending over, she gathered the weapons and slid them over her shoulder. "What does that have to do with anything? You're a demon, and a fairly powerful one at that. Why should my being a priestess concern you?"

"Well, I…I don't know, I just…get jittery around mikos." Because the fur on his face was thin, his blush was clearly visible. "I can't explain it."

_Does he…have a phobia?_ Kagome stared incredulously at him. _This big, tough demon is irrationally afraid of mikos?_ She rolled her eyes. _You sure do meet some strange people in the feudal era._

Smiling cheerily, she turned to Inuyasha. "Well, the rain's let up. Shall we move on?"

Inuyasha glowered and folded his arms in his sleeves. "Yeah, yeah. Don't be surprised if when I meet that damn goddess, I _rip her throat out… Dammit! Not again!!_"

Inuyasha threw his hands to the sky.

"_I'll get you, you damn bitch!! Just you wait!_"


	5. Jeepers Creepers

**Author's note: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Er, make that the looooooong wait. If you didn't already know, I was in England for all of July, and picking up again was a little rough when I got back. I already have the idea for the next chap, so it may not be long before I update.**

**STOP BEFORE YOU CONTINUE!!! IF YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT JACKALS AND SHIGEKI, GO BACK AND REREAD CHAPS 3 AND 4! I revamped the story, so you won't understand what's going on! Everyone else, read on.**

**REVIEW or else!!**

* * *

The summer sun rose high in the sky, blazing down at the travelers below. Kagome rode silently upon Inuyasha's back as he raced through the forest, with Kaijin keeping pace beside them. Inuyasha watched the tiger apprehensively.__

_I know he's right next to me, but he's barely making a sound! How the hell does he do that??_ Inuyasha scowled. _Compared to him, I might as well be an army charging through the undergrowth!_

Kaijin glanced over at the half demon and caught his look. "It's because I'm a hunter. It wouldn't do for my prey to hear me sneaking up on it, now would it?"

Inuyasha blinked in surprise._ He read my thoughts?_

"I don't have to read your thoughts, Inuyasha. They're written all over your face."

Growling, Inuyasha turned away. "Just shut the hell up."

Kaijin simply shrugged. "Whatever."

As silence hung over the group, the day's heat grew. Before long, Kagome was shifting uncomfortably on Inuyasha's back.

_Yikes, it's getting hot. I wonder how Inuyasha's holding up with those heavy robes of his._ She tilted her head to the side. _I wonder…if he's a dog demon, does he sweat? Is he like a human in that area, or is he going to start panting on us?_

Unbeknownst to her, a bead of sweat ran down Inuyasha's jaw line. He scowled irritably._ This heat is getting really annoying. These robes weren't built for hot summer weather, dammit._ He shifted Kagome's weight on his back._ And her added body heat isn't helping things much._

Frowning, he glanced at Kaijin. The cat didn't seem to notice the increasing heat._ Then again, with as little as he's wearing, he's probably the best off out of the three of us._

"Hey, Cat Breath, just how far south _are_ we?" Inuyasha glowered as the tiger cast him a blank look. "You said your father was Lord of the Southern Lands, right? How far south are we right now?"

Taking a leap in sync with Inuyasha, Kaijin lifted a hand to his chin and thought.

"Well, I can't say that I know a great deal about our land, but I know that the island we're on is fairly large. There seems to be a larger one to the north, if that means anything to you." Catching the confused looks from Kagome and Inuyasha, Kaijin sighed and dropped to the ground.

"Here, let me draw it for you." When the two landed next to him, he extended the claw on his index finger and began to draw in the dirt. He drew a large, rectangular island first, then drew a vague outline of a larger, longer island above it. He dotted the region below with tiny islands, then marked the southern tip of the first island.

"We're currently around here. The fox goddess' shrine is up here." He marked a spot further north on the same island.

Slipping free of Inuyasha, Kagome walked over and crouched next to Kaijin's drawing. She frowned.

"It looks like we were blown all the way to Kyushu!" She glanced up at Inuyasha. "Any further south, and we'd have ended up in the middle of the ocean!"

"So…how far are we from Kaede's village?"

She bit her lip. "Tokyo's on a different island altogether. We'll have to cross part of the ocean to get back to the main island, and after _that_ it could take days, maybe weeks to get back home!"

"Are you _serious??_" Inuyasha tossed his hands up in the air. "Great. Just great. I'm cursed, we're traveling with a guy who has kitty chow for brains—"

"Hey!"

"…And now you're telling me that it's going to take _weeks_ to get back home? That's just damn terrific."

Kagome frowned. "Hey, I'm not thrilled about it either." She looked pleadingly at Kaijin. "Do you think you could help us find a quicker way back, once we're done with the fox goddess? It'd be a big help."

"We don't need his help! I can find the damn way home."

"You didn't even know where we were!" Kagome stuck her tongue out at Inuyasha. "I think we can use all the help we can get." Ignoring him, she turned back to Kaijin. "Please?"

The tiger blinked in surprise, then rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. Why not?"

Thrilled, Kagome beamed at him. "Thank you so much!"

Kaijin shifted slightly away, discomfited by her smile. "N-no problem."

Inuyasha tossed his head and _feh_'d. "Let's just get on the damn way, ok?? We're wasting too much time out here."

Kagome sighed wearily and swiped at her brow. "It's already getting hot, and the day's barely started." She glanced at Kaijin. "How hot does it usually get down here?"

He shrugged. "I'm used to it, but I'd say that this is pretty mild. It should get a lot hotter by the end of the day." He smirked. "The heat makes it even easier to smell prey. A lot of animals have a low tolerance for heat."

_Yeah, and I'm one of them._ Inuyasha discreetly tugged at his robes, releasing a small pocket of heat. _Damned if I'll let THEM know, though. I'm not letting Cat Face show me up._

Tail twitching, Kaijin took a long look at Inuyasha. _He looks like he's roasting._ Taking an imperceptible sniff, he caught the sharp stench of sweat beginning to rise from the dog demon._ Smells like it, too._

Kaijin turned and tugged absentmindedly on a plant leaf. "Maybe we should take a short break. If you guys are hungry, I can go fetch some food." He glanced up at the light filtering in from the foliage. "Most people take a break during the middle of the day anyway."

"Why should _you_ go for food?" Irritated, Inuyasha strode up to the tiger demon and folded his arms. "I could catch something just as easily as you can."

Lifting an eyebrow, Kaijin looked Inuyasha over. "You don't look like much of a hunter, Dog Butt." He smirked and laid a hand on his shoulder. "No offense."

Inuyasha growled, shrugging Kaijin's hand off. "Is that a challenge, Cat Breath?"

Sensing a fight, Kagome lifted her hands and walked between the boys. "Come on, guys, this isn't really necessary, is it?"

"Yeah, Dog Butt, relax." Kaijin rolled his eyes and shifted, planting his hands on his hips. "These woods are dangerous. It would be reckless for both of us to go off for food, and I assume I'm correct in thinking you'd prefer to protect Lady Kagome yourself?"

"Well, I…"

Nodding, Kaijin started off into the forest, lifting a vine out of his path. "That's what I thought. Just sit tight and cool off, I'll be back soon."

With that, the tiger disappeared, a few leaves and branches waving behind him.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to argue, then shut it with a scowl. _That little creep was mocking me, I know it._ Tilting his head, he lifted one arm and worked the kinks out of his shoulder._ Still, with this heat, I could use a break._

"Whoo! Nothing like summer weather, right Inuyasha?" Kagome smiled stretched both arms over her head, unknowingly exposing part of her stomach. Blushing, Inuyasha tugged at his collar again.

Yawning mightily, Kagome plopped down in front of a sturdy tree and leaned back against its trunk. Thick mosses provided a pleasant cushion as she settled in.

"Mmm, I can see why people often take naps in the middle of the day." Smiling, she patted the ground next to her. "Come on, Inuyasha, take a load off."

Because he would like nothing better than to flop onto the ground with her, he scowled. "You know, you could be a little more concerned. I happen to have a time limit to get this _thing_ off my hand!"

Her smile slipped, and she sat up. "You think I don't care? I'm just as worried about your curse as you are!"

"You sure aren't acting like it," he grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

Sighing, Kagome rose to her feet and walked over to the half demon. Gently, she took his hand in hers and turned it over, running her fingers lightly over the doodle. Inuyasha stared at her fingers, a blush creeping over his cheeks. The doodle, which had begun to warm, cooled instantly at her touch.

Kagome stared at the doodle as she traced its lines. _It's so unfair. Inuyasha shouldn't have to deal with a curse just because of a mistake! That goddess had better take it off him when we find her, or she'll have more than an irritable half demon to deal with._ Looking up, her eyes locked with Inuyasha's.

"We are going to get this doodle off you, Inuyasha." Determination strengthened her voice. "Don't you worry about that!"

Lifting his eyebrows, Inuyasha considered Kagome. There was no fear for his safety in her eyes; only a steeled will to make sure his safety stayed intact. _Since when is she **my** champion??_

As one, they looked down to their joined hands, blushed, and stepped back. Inuyasha cleared his throat and turned his head away, tipping his face arrogantly up.

"Feh. You don't have to tell me that. When I meet that fox goddess, I'm going to rip her limb from limb!" Not moving his head, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Don't _you_ worry about _that_!"

She smiled weakly. "Whatever you say, Inuyasha." _As long as he keeps that attitude, he'll be fine…so long as he doesn't try it on the goddess herself._

Sighing, Kagome settled herself back down on the moss. "Well, now that that's covered, why don't we take a break?"

Inuyasha frowned and hesitated, but he lowered himself next to her. The soft moss gave under his legs, a sweet scent wafting up to him as he crushed the tiny plants. Lowering his eyelids, he took a deep breath of the scent.

"Mmm."

Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha's murmur, her own lids growing heavy. The dog demon was relaxing visibly, his head bobbing forward. Smiling sleepily, she scooted closer to him._ He's so cute when he's sleepy._

As the strange scent wrapped around him, Inuyasha closed his eyes. His brain was fogging over, making it impossible to focus on any of his senses. A little alarm started ringing in the recesses of his brain, but another inhalation of the perfume silenced it. Yawning, he let his eyes drift shut.__

_Thump._

He flinched as a heavy weight dropped onto his shoulder. Peeling open one eye, he looked down at the top of a black-haired head. _Kagome?_ He frowned down at her head, busily trying to figure out why she would put her head on his shoulder. The answer should be simple, shouldn't it? Why couldn't he figure it out?

Barely awake, Inuyasha sat and listened to her slow, heavy breathing._ She's…asleep._ His frown deepened. _That should have been obvious. What's going on? Why can't I think straight?_

A rustle sounded in the bushes next to him. Slowly, Inuyasha managed to turn his head to look. Blinking slowly to clear his swimming vision, he focused on a pair of red eyes that burned their gaze into him. Inuyasha shook his head slightly and tried to speak.

"Mmf nn…" Frowning, Inuyasha swallowed and tried again. "Who…are you? What's goin' onnnn?"

The eyes blinked, and a dark, oblong head slowly worked its way out of the bushes. As Inuyasha struggled to stay awake, he saw a grin full of sharp, crooked teeth spread across the creature's face.

"W-who the hell are you??" He forced the words out of his throat, but the question used up the last of his remaining energy.

As the world went dark, he heard a dark laugh fill the air.

* * *

Kaijin wandered through the forest, an assortment of colored fruit in the crook of his left arm. He hummed softly as a bird flew overhead, and he calmly flicked a claw at it. A small wave of ki caught the bird mid-flap, and it dropped from the sky.

Catching it, he shifted the fruit closer to his body and used his freed hand to hold the bird's body. He started idly plucking the bird as he walked.__

_I wonder how the lovebirds are doing?_ Smirking, he leapt over a fallen log. Part of the reason he'd left was to give those two a moment alone, though neither seemed aware of his intentions.

"Hmm. I wonder how much time alone they'll need?" He stuck his bottom lip out as he pondered. "I could probably start heading back in a few minutes."

As he stepped lightly over branches and boulders, the wind shifted. He came to a dead stop.

"I recognize that scent." Slowly, he turned to follow its trail. "That's where I left Dog Butt and Lady Kagome."

Scowling, he dropped the food and ran.

"Dammit!!"

_

* * *

_

_Drip, drip, drip._

Inuyasha slowly came to, a strange tingling sensation all over his body. Grunting, he peeled his eyes open.

Darkness swam before his eyes as he tried to focus. Shaking his head to clear some of the cobwebs from his brain, he tipped his head up and looked around. Cave walls and stalactites filled his vision, moisture slowly dripping from the rocky points. The air was stale, and it reeked of decayed flesh and bones. Wrinkling his nose, he glanced at the cave ceiling.

Why was his hair dangling above him like that?

Abruptly, Inuyasha realized that he was hanging upside down. Eyes widening, he struggled to move, but his entire body was bound in some tough, stretchy material from the neck down (or up). He twisted and tugged at his arms, irritated when he only resulted in swinging himself back and forth. The material creaked as his weight strained it, but it didn't give.

"Dammit, what the hell is going on here?!" Growling, he wriggled furiously in his cocoon. The tingling sensation grew steadily worse as he moved, causing a black scowl to mar Inuyasha's face.__

_It's not a digestive liquid, because that stuff hurts like hell. What's **in** this thing??_ As he tried to glance at the cocoon, the material pulled slightly away from his neck. Immediately, Inuyasha felt the prickle of tiny legs upon his skin.

"Huh?" Twisting, he tipped his chin to his chest and tried to eyeball whatever was crawling on him. The prickle stilled, then moved up along his neck and crossed his cheek, coming to a stop upon his nose.

Inuyasha's eyes crossed as he focused on a tiny, spider-like creature. Its head was also oblong, with two tiny red eyes centered near an open, tooth-filled mouth. Wrinkling his nose, Inuyasha blew puffs of air at it.

"C'mon, get the hell off me." When it refused to budge, he violently shook his head. "I said get off!"

The creature cocked its head and studied Inuyasha for a long moment. Its miniscule mouth worked jerkily, emitting a small "neyarng" sound each time. As Inuyasha growled, it lowered its head…

…And bit him. Hard.

"Ow!! That _hurt_, dammit!" Tired of dealing with the little bug, Inuyasha started working his shoulder free of the cocoon through the tiny gap at his neck. _If I could just get an arm free, I could squash the sucker **and** get out of here!_

His hand started to burn.

Freezing, Inuyasha let his gaze zero in on the inquisitive spider on his nose. The blood slowly drained out of his face.

"EEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

Kagome abruptly came to as a scream filled the air.

"Hn? Inuyasha?" Blinking, she spotted his cocooned form writhing frantically before her. A quick glance at herself confirmed that they were both bound and hung upside down. Biting her lip in worry, she looked up at Inuyasha.

"What's going on here? Inuyasha, are you alright?"

"Get it off, get it off, GET IT OFFA ME!!" Whimpering, he swung himself around and whacked Kagome.

"Oof!" Kagome swung backwards, her cocoon creaking as it moved. "Inuyasha, what's gotten into you??"

He stopped struggling, his body swinging back and forth. Eventually, his cocoon turned, and he faced the girl. His bottom lip trembling, he regarded her with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"There's…a SPIDER on me! And I c-can't…get it off!!"

Kagome stared at him. "You're afraid of a spider?"

Choking back a sob, he nodded and shuddered when the spider demon crawled around to his ear. "It's the…the curse. My hand really h-hurts."

"Oh, I get it." Kagome bit her lip. "Are you sure you can't fight it?"

"If I could, don't you think I w-would?? Ow!" He winced as the spider bit him on the ear.

"But where did it come from?"

"I-Inside the cocoon." His eyes went wide. "You mean THAT'S what the tingle is???"

Yelling crazily, Inuyasha went berserk. He twisted his body violently, ignoring Kagome's pleas for him to quiet down. As he swung, the cocoon's base began to tear…__

_Fwump._

_Crunch._

Inuyasha hit the ground heavily, the cocoon still wrapped snugly about him. The encasing underneath him began to feel strangely wet, and he had a sinking feeling that it wasn't from the water on the ground.

"EEEWWWWWWW!!"

As he continued trying to free himself, a laugh rumbled into the cave.

"So, are my little 'guests' comfy?"

Its feet scraping along the cave floor, a tremendous spider-demon crawled out of the darkness. Looming over its victims, the demon began to laugh.

"You two looked like such fine food for my children. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to snag you!" It bared a long row of sharp teeth. "In a few moments, my children should be ready to feed on you."

Inuyasha looked like he wanted to cry as he scooted back from the spider, but he steeled his trembling lips.

"S-so that scent was one of your tricks?"

The spider smiled. "Aye, that was mine. Most demons don't even notice it when they crush my moss." Lifting a leg, the spider scraped at its back, then brought its limb forward. The moss from the forest now covered its leg. "This cave's moisture creates some of the most fascinating plants, don't you agree?"

A weak growl rumbled out of Inuyasha's throat, and the half demon straightened, hopping awkwardly to his feet.

"Y-you picked the wrong guy to feed to your young, you sicko! I-I'm going to p-pound you!" His heart pounded sickly as the spider took a step closer to him._ No way am I going to let this curse get in the way! If Kagome and I are in danger, then I'm going to get us out of it!!_ A tiny whimper slipped free as the spider smiled and laughed._ Even if, at the moment, I'm scared shitless._

The spider grinned down at him. "You have spirit, I'll give you that. Hopefully your flesh will bestow some of that energy to my young!" It tilted its head slightly. "Do try not to scream too loud when they eat you, though, will you? It would give me a headache."

"S-screw that!" Inuyasha scowled. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I'm eaten by a weak demon like you! Much less a horde of your young!"

His hand burned, but he refused to give in to the pain. He fisted his hand and clenched it to the point where his claws were digging into his palm. Immediately, he felt dozens of spiders swarm to his hand, and his stomach lurched.__

_Gross, gross, gross, gross, ew ew ew ew ewwww…_ Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha clamped down on his runaway emotions._ I'm not afraid of spiders. I'm not afraid of spiders._

Chuckling, the spider demon strode closer to him and leaned forward, its teeth gleaming. Inuyasha scowled and closed his hand over Tetsusaiga's hilt.

"You know, you may be too good a catch for my young. Perhaps I should sample you first!" The demon cackled, a stream of drool escaping its open mouth. Inuyasha couldn't help taking an awkward hop back, tightening his grip on the sword.

"I'm not afraid of spiders. I'm not afraid of spiders!" He shuddered as they climbed up his sleeve. "I'm not afraid of spiders!"

_Yes, you are. Don't try to deny it. _

"Who said that??" Whipping his head around, Inuyasha nearly lost his balance as he tried to locate the source of the voice. A woman's voice chuckled into his ear, and he could feel the brush of phantom fingers against his palm.

_You want to fight me. How extraordinary._ Another breathy laugh. _I wonder, should I let you die here? I can make your limbs weak, your bravery abandon you. Should I do it?_

As she spoke, Inuyasha's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. His teeth began to chatter as fear burrowed into his heart and wrapped around it, squeezing desperately. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha tried to summon up his will to fight.

"I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid! I'm strong, and I can win!" He shuddered at the feel of the spider's breath upon his back. "I can win!"

Kagome began to struggle as the spider demon skittered closer to Inuyasha while the boy mumbled to himself. She could feel the spiders scurrying over her skin as she moved, and she forced down a wave of disgust.

"Inuyasha, you can do it! You know you can!!"

Blinking, Inuyasha glanced up at her. "Kagome?" The girl looked ridiculous, swinging upside down with her hair tumbling into her face. Shaking it aside (or trying to), she sent him an encouraging smile.

"We both know you're strong Inuyasha. Don't let a stupid doodle make you think otherwise." Nodding shortly, she grinned. "Take this loser out!"

Smirking, Inuyasha straightened. _She's right. I can do it!_ Ignoring the blistering heat in his hand, he tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga and smiled up at the spider demon.

"You really should've picked your victims better." His smile dropped into a scowl as a wave of fear went spiraling into his stomach. Growling, he dredged up all his strength and ripped Tetsusaiga out of its sheath.

_RRRRIIIIIIIP-P-P!_

The shredded cocoon fell to the ground, hundreds of spiders spilling loose. They scurried over Inuyasha's bare feet, some stopping to bite him on the way. Ignoring the shudder of fear that ran through him, Inuyasha leveled his sword on the shocked spider demon before him.

_What do you think you're doing? You're terrified of spiders! You couldn't possibly have the strength to take on one of this size!_ The dark voice mocked him, an angry edge to its words. _Go ahead and cower, puppy. It's expected of you._

Inuyasha worked to ignore the voice in his head, his eyebrows furrowing._ I won't listen to her. She can't force me to fail!_ He refocused his gaze on the spider demon.

"You're done!" Scowling, he swung his sword back. The goddess' voice shrilled in his head, scraping against his brain. "Kaze no Kizu!!"__

"_KREEEEEEEEAR!_"

With a horrible screech, the spider vanished, taking most of its young with it. The voice in his head silenced abruptly, though his hand was still unpleasantly warm. Breathing heavily, Inuyasha lowered his sword and turned to Kagome. She smiled sheepishly at him for a moment, but her smile quickly fell from her face.

"Oh god!!" Eyes wide, she started wriggling back and forth. "Ow! OW!!"

"What's wrong??" Instantly worried, he raced to her side and placed a hand on her cocoon. He could feel the spiders swarming under the web. "Are you all right?"

"They're—oh god—they're _eating_ me! OW!!" Eyes wide, she looked up at him. "Get me out!!"

Without hesitation, Inuyasha dug his claws into the cocoon and tugged with all his might. A few cracks formed in the fibers, spiders angrily spilling out to bite his hands. Grunting with the effort, he forced the cracks open.__

_C-CRACK!_

With one mighty heave, he split the cocoon in two. Kagome fell instantly, only to be caught in Inuyasha's outstretched arms. Squealing, she slapped at the spiders still crawling over her and knocked them to the ground.

"That was so groooooss!!" she whined, batting at yet another spider. She blinked when Inuyasha's arms tightened about her, and she glanced up at him. His gaze was intense upon her face, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Kagome, are you all right?" His voice was quiet as it swept over her. Staring up at him, Kagome found herself blushing.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." She lowered her gaze. "Thanks for saving me."

He was quiet for a long moment. "…Kagome?"

"Y-yeah?"

"…There are spiders all over me." When she glanced back up, his eye twitched. "Get them off me. Now."

She stared at him in surprise, then glanced down at his chest. Sure enough, spiders were still crawling all over him. Biting her lip, she batted them away.

"There, they're all gone." She looked up at his face, which hadn't changed. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes vacant. "Are you ok now?"

Inuyasha took a shaky breath and slowly released it. "Of course I'm fine. I'm not afraid of spiders."

"I know." Reaching up, she touched a hand to his cheek. His gaze slowly focused on her. "Inuyasha, I'm so proud of you. You beat the fox goddess' curse!"

He blinked down at her. _She's proud of me?_ Unbidden, warmth spread in his chest, and a small smile worked its way onto his face. To cover it, he turned the smile into a smirk.

"Feh. Did you really think some dumb wench could control me?" His hand flamed with that comment, but he ignored it. "Honestly, don't you know me better than that?"

She grinned. "I guess I should."

"Inuyasha! Lady Kagome!"

At the sound of Kaijin's voice, both looked up. Within moments, the tiger demon rounded the dark tunnel's corner and stopped before them, breathing heavily.

"Are you two all right?? I rushed here as soon as I caught that spider's scent." A frown on his face, he turned on Inuyasha. "You idiot! Can't you protect yourself for one measly minute?? With your curse, I thought you two had been devoured by now!!"

Kagome stiffened, glaring at Kaijin. "As a matter of fact, Inuyasha managed to save both of us, _despite_ that stupid curse! What do you think about that?"

The dog demon in question had opened his mouth to snipe at Kaijin, but he closed it at Kagome's defense of him. A blush crept over his cheeks.

Blinking, Kaijin finally took in the pair. The corners of his mouth tensed as he bit back a smile.

"Am I…interrupting something here?" Slowly, he allowed the smile to break free. "Perhaps you would rather I left you alone for a little while longer?"

The two stared at him in confusion before glancing at each other. Neither had realized that not only was Kagome still settled in Inuyasha's arms, but that his grip on her was also far tighter that it had any excuse to be. Blushing furiously, they parted, Inuyasha quickly lowering her to the ground. A few baby spiders crunched under her feet.

Smiling smugly, Kaijin turned towards the exit. "Shall we?"

Inuyasha scowled to cover his embarrassment as they started to proceed out of the cave. "Look, Cat Breath, it ain't what you think!"

"What's not what I think?" He sent back his most innocent expression. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

_Like hell you don't._ Still blushing, Inuyasha settled for crossing his arms and glowering. Though his weak defense had been aimed at Kaijin, the only opinion Inuyasha worried about was Kagome's. He hadn't even realized that he'd kept his grip on her—it simply felt natural to hold her in his arms. At that thought, he blinked and blushed deeper. _Where did that come from? It feels **natural** to hold her? Since when??_

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he tried to gauge her reaction. A slight frown creased her face. Was she upset with him?

Before he could pursue that train of thought further, a rather large spider scampered onto his foot and tried to work its way up his leg. All thoughts halted immediately as he dove for it, slapping frantically until it was removed.

Kagome mused quietly as they walked, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the cave walls. _Why did Inuyasha feel he had to deny anything to Kaijin? Is it that embarrassing to be caught holding me?_ She frowned slightly. _Still, I have to admit…it always feels good when he holds me. I guess it's because he does it so rarely, or only when I'm in trouble._ She sighed. __

_It would be nice if he would just hold me for once, without my life being in peril._

* * *

Meanwhile, the Fox Goddess frowned irritably at her mystic mirror.

"So, the little pup thinks that my curse is so easily conquered? How dare he assume power over my will!"

Scowling, she clenched her fist and sent lines of fire along the doodle. The dog demon squirmed visibly in her mirror. Eyes narrowed, she traced a finger along the image of his face.

"You'll pay dearly for your insubordination, puppy. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging to do my will."

A dark smile filled her face, and a harsh laugh bounced gleefully off the walls.

"Just like the _dog_ you are."

* * *

**The first movie is premiering!! Check my website for showings- Time's almost out!**


	6. Smoke on the Water

**

* * *

Ok, this is your first warning people. I want feedback on this chapter. Believe me, I'm petty enough to stop writing if I don't get reviews. If that becomes the case, I'll probably just send out new chapters to my more faithful reviewers (and trust me, I know who you are).**

**Strike 1 people. Review.**

* * *

Kaijin smiled smugly to himself at the dog demon's obvious discomfort as they left the spider demon's cave. _He's so easily rumpled when it comes to the miko. Who does he think he's fooling?_ His smile melted into a cheeky grin. _I wonder…what would it take to get him to admit it?_

A breeze swept down from the mouth of the cave, crossing Kaijin's nose. The smile immediately falling from his face, the tiger turned and gazed up at the sloping rock. Narrowing his eyes, Kaijin frowned as tension crept into his form.

Glancing back, Kagome came to a stop. "Kaijin? Is something the matter?"

The tiger didn't respond for a moment. Lifting an eyebrow, Inuyasha turned to glare at the demon, then looked up at the rock face. The hill the rock created was lumpy and malformed, moss-covered in some regions and bare in others. Shadows danced across its surface, licking cautiously at the lighted areas.

Sniffing at the air, Inuyasha frowned. _I don't smell anything. What's he so worked up about?_

"Hey, Cat Breath. Either move it or start talking, since you don't do us any good standing there like a moron."

"Do you sense something, Kaijin?" Kagome asked quickly.

The tiger demon continued to stare up at the hill for a moment more before slowly shaking his head. Lifting his hand to his shoulder, he soothed his ruffled fur and turned to Kagome.

"No…I don't. I must have been imagining things." Giving himself a brief shake, he strode forward. "Let's get out of here."

Kagome and Inuyasha glanced at each other for a moment before the half demon shrugged and followed. Glancing back at the cave curiously, Kagome followed suit.

"I wonder what bothered him just now."

Try as he might, Kaijin couldn't dispel the sense of unease that had settled onto his shoulders. _There was no one on that hilltop. No scent, no sound, nothing. So why did I feel like we were being watched?_ He allowed his expression to cloud over for a minute, then reassembled his face into a cheerful smile and turned it on his companions.

"After that little episode, I'll bet you guys want to wash." He glanced pointedly at Inuyasha's robes, which had darkened along his side where he'd fallen within the cocoon. The dog demon wrinkled his nose at him.

Chuckling lightly, Kaijin angled off to the right. "Come. I know of a river nearby."__

_Maybe we all need to relax._

* * *

The voices of the three travelers faded as they wandered away from the cave entrance. After a moment, a shadow atop the hill shifted.

Unseen by any who passed, a lean figure lounged among the craggy rock, one arm propped lazily upon a lifted knee. As the group drew further away, the figure's slit eyes opened slowly and his head lifted.

"They got away, did they?" A voice no louder than the whispering wind emerged from his lips. With a gusty sigh, the figure straightened up and frowned. "And what on earth was that tiger doing there?"

Glancing about to make sure he had no audience, he slid down the rock face. His body seemed to merge with each shadow as he moved. Silently, he alighted on the ground.

Placing one dark, clawed hand on the cool grass, the figure looked along their path with hooded eyes.

"I'm not sure I can allow that."

With those words, he melted into the nearest shadow and disappeared.

* * *

"I told you, I'm NOT gonna do it!"

"Please, Inuyasha? I promise I won't look while you change!"

"NO."

"Aww, c'mon! You know it's hot enough."

"I. Said. NO!"

Kagome sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Inuyasha, be reasonable. It's at least 28 degrees out, you're wearing heavy, long robes, and you've been running around all day! Admit it, you _need_ to go into the water!"

Scowling, Inuyasha folded his arms. He'd previously settled for rolling up his sleeves, but it hadn't accomplished much. Sweat ran down his jaw line.

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't, but I'll be caught _dead_ before I wear that…monstrosity!"

Kagome smothered a smile. "It's not a monstrosity. It'll look good on you! I swear!"

"Over my dead body," he stated calmly, looking away. Deep in his gut, he shuddered. Just the thought of wearing that…_thing_ in front of Kagome…no. He'd eat a tub of mud before he lowered himself so far!

Kagome battled with a surge of amusement as she held out her offering. "But if you wear this, we can go in together! I could even wear my new bathing suit!"

Inuyasha _feh_'d in response, but his interest perked at the mention of her bathing suit. He'd seen it on several occasions, though it had always made him feel a bit like a peeping tom (Kagome had used that phrase several times before. He had to admit…it fit the sentiment) when she wore it. If he put on that…monstrosity, he'd be allowed to swim with her?

Glancing at the garment in her hands, he winced. __

_Is it even worth it?_

"You know you want to…" she sang, shaking it in front of him. With a great show of reluctance, Inuyasha took the garment and held it up.

She really expected him to wear a pair of…what did she call them…Hawaiian swimming trunks?

His left eye twitched as he contemplated the wild red, green and blue flower patterns splattered all over the garment. He could just hear the gods laughing at him.

His eyes narrowed. Gods. Was that fox goddess behind this???

A pair of gentle hands turned him around and pushed him towards a line of trees and bushes.

"You go change over there, and I'll change over here, ok? Trust me, you'll feel better once you get in the water." A sense of glee swept over Kagome._ Is he really going to wear them??_

"Why can't I just wear what I've got on?" He ignored the whine in his voice. Under the circumstances, he figured it was justified!

"Because we need to wash our clothes anyway! Spider guts aren't the _only_ 'unmentionables' on them. I mean, after all these battles we've fought, how many times have you actually washed those robes?"

Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. Kagome didn't catch what he said, but then, she didn't really care anyway.

"I'm not riding on your back when I know _that_ stuff is in there." She smiled sweetly. "I'll make this up to you later, ok? I promise."

"I doubt that," he grumbled, just before she gave him a last shove towards the bushes. He watched irritably as she walked back over to her bag, which they'd retrieved on the way to the river, and pulled out a length of purple material. Glancing up, she shooed him away.

"Go on!"

Grumbling, he stepped behind the bushes and stripped off his haori and shirt. A breeze decided to whip by at that moment, cooling his sweat-streaked skin. He sighed in relief._ Damn, I was getting hot!_

His hands went to his belt, but he hesitated, staring down at the brightly colored swimming trunks. A wave of revulsion and humiliation swept through him as the trunks seemed to expand to fill his vision.__

_No way. No way in hell. I don't care if she "sits" me until my back snaps in half! I'm…not…_

"WEARING IT!"

* * *

Kaijin floated luxuriously through the water, enjoying the feel of the current swishing through his fur. The sound of his companions arguing filled his ears, so he closed his eyes and let himself drift downstream.

"Eh, they probably want some private time anyway." A kick of his legs kept him in the same area, however. Despite the fact that he couldn't actually detect anyone's presence, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. He'd learned long ago not to mess with instincts.

Opening his eyes, he stared up at the clear blue sky. A single white bird streaked across it, chirping softly.__

_Rumble._

Sighing, Kaijin placed a hand on his stomach. "That's right, I had to drop our snacks when looking for those guys." A second rumble had him flipping over.

"Time to go fishing!"

As he dove underwater, he could have sworn he spotted a glimmer of movement on the far bank, but a fish the size of his arm swimming by quickly erased the thought from his brain.

* * *

Smiling happily, Kagome stepped out from the tree cover, her clothes folded in her arms. She wore a simple one-piece bathing suit that crisscrossed over her mostly bare back and revealed a hint of her sides. The front was modest, showing only a small square of her chest before it formed a solid plane down her torso.

Resting her clothes on the shore, she glanced towards Inuyasha. He still stood behind the bushes, his back to her. Her grin widening, she waded into the water.

"C'mon in, Inuyasha! Don't be shy!" Her eyes glinted with mischief. _I can't wait to see him in that bathing suit!_

A faint blush warmed her cheeks. The trunks were comical in themselves, but that wasn't the only reason she wanted him in a suit. Though she'd seen his torso a couple of times, Inuyasha never really showed himself off…and she didn't think she'd ever really seen his legs. She couldn't help but wonder what he'd look like in a swimsuit. Was he really skinny? Or did he have more than a lean strength in those legs?

Inuyasha growled irritably at her words, glancing over at her. His eyes swept over her suit, but aside from a slight flush on his cheeks, his expression didn't change.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming! Sheesh."

Kagome held her breath as he stepped out from behind the bushes…

"Hey! You little stinker, you didn't even put it on!" Pouting, she crossed her arms over her chest. He scowled back at her.

"I told you, I'd rather die than be caught in those 'swimming trunks'." Grumpily, he stalked over to the water.

"And what about washing your clothes??"

"Hey, I took my shirt off. Wash that." He struggled to keep an expression of pure pleasure from his face as the cool waters rushed to swirl about his legs. A contented sigh escaped him nonetheless.

Kagome sighed in disappointment. _Oh well. What did I expect? This **is** Inuyasha we're talking about._ Rolling her eyes, she sloshed over to him.

"You're a chicken, you know that?" Sticking her tongue out at him, she sent a little splash towards him.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am NOT a chicken!" He pointed accusingly at the offending trunks on the shore. "Only an idiot would be seen in those!!"

"Well, you aren't exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch." Smirking, she flopped onto her back and began to swim in a wide arc around him.

Inuyasha frowned. He didn't know exactly what a bulb was, but he could tell when he was being insulted. Unable to think of a comeback, he simply scowled and turned away.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome rolled over and swam up to him, then stood in the relatively shallow water. She still struggled with her disappointment as she looked at him._ I really wanted to see him in those, too._

A thought entered her head, and she smiled.

"You know, you really are a coward, Inuyasha." She shrugged as he slowly turned his head, spearing her with an evil glare. "Well, it's true."

"Mind explaining that?" His voice held a dangerous edge to it. Folding her arms, she tipped her chin up.

"Well, if you don't even have the guts to wear a simple _bathing suit_—"

"That thing is hideous!"

"...Then yes, I think you're a coward." Fighting to keep a smile off her face, Kagome turned her back on him. "Maybe you're just not man enough."

She smothered a chuckle at the low growl that immediately rumbled out of Inuyasha's chest. _Did he actually buy that?_

Inuyasha scowled furiously, a flush of anger and embarrassment on his cheeks._ Not man enough, am I??_

His scowl deepened when she turned around, a placating smile on her face. She patted him on the shoulder.

"It's ok, Inuyasha, I understand. Everyone can get a little shy sometimes—"

_SHY??_

"...And I guess not everyone has the guts to wear a swimsuit in public." Her smile widened cheerily. "Maybe you'll have the courage next time."

_That does it._ "The hell I will!" Snarling, he strode out of the water and stomped over to the trunks._ I'll show HER courage!_ He swiped them angrily off the ground and stalked behind the bushes, glancing over at Kagome. "Turn around!"

She turned immediately, unable to keep a grin off her face. Blushing, Inuyasha changed quickly into the swimming trunks. He winced at the bright colors on his pale skin, then glanced back at her.__

_Ok, good, she's not looking._ Tensing, he edged out from behind the bushes, trying to make as little sound as he could. He stilled when she turned her head slightly.

"Well? Can I look?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened as she started to turn, and his bravery deserted him. _Dear gods, what if she laughs at me??_ Her head seemed to go into slow motion, her brown eyes moving to meet his...

Complete and utter panic overwhelmed him.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome blinked as a silver blur shot past her.__

_SPLA-PLA-PLA-PLASHHH!_

Kagome froze for a long moment. "Wha...?" Turning, she spotted Inuyasha a meter or so beyond her, standing in water up to the middle of his chest. A contorted scowl did nothing to hide the tremendous flush covering his face and neck.

...Nor did it hide the bright Hawaiian trunks dancing beneath the water.

A grin split Kagome's face, and she clapped her hands delightedly. "You wore it! You really wore it!!"

Mortified, he folded his arms over his chest. "Are you happy now??"

Her only response was to splash over to him and throw her arms around his neck. Laughing heartily, she hugged the embarrassed boy.

"Yes! Very happy." Pulling away, she looked at his disgruntled face. "Don't tell me you're upset."

He glanced away. _I can't believe I'm actually wearing them..._

Kagome smiled warmly at him. "Oh, don't be such a grump. Have some fun for once in your life!"

"Hey!" Taking exception, Inuyasha turned back to her. "I know how to have fun!" His eyebrows furrowed at her immediately dubious expression. "I do!"

"Uh huh." Smirking, she waded back from him. "Prove it."

Inuyasha thought for a long moment, a smile working its way across his face. His eyes narrowed on her. Smiling nervously, she backed away.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

His grin took on an evil edge as he slowly moved closer to her. "You wanted me to prove it, right?"

"Well, yes…" She blinked as he suddenly loomed above her. "Just what are you thinking??"

"Oh, nothing." Quick as a flash, his hands were on her waist. He bared his teeth in a feral grin. "How's THIS for fun??"

A shriek was her only reply.

* * *

The bottom half of a fish wriggling before his lips, Kaijin lifted his head out of the water. His ears tweaked at the sound of intermittent screams and laughs from his companions. Munching slowly on the fish, Kaijin watched them with bemused interest.

The two appeared to be playing together, though the game consisted only of Kagome swimming frantically around, with Inuyasha splashing after her. When he finally managed to catch up to her, he would hoist her giggling body out of the water, turn, and hurl her as far away as he could. Then they'd start all over again.

Silently, Kaijin wondered if the half demon had ever enjoyed himself this much.

Grinning, Kaijin gulped down the rest of his fish and swam over towards the couple, keeping himself a safe distance away so he wouldn't get clocked by a tossed Kagome.

The miko was actually a talented swimmer; she streaked through the water with an admirable speed for a human. Inuyasha, on the other hand, could swim, but he wasn't nearly as proficient. His strength propelled him far faster than his technique (or lack thereof) should have allowed.

As Inuyasha closed in on his prey, Kaijin locked eyes with Kagome. A sparkle of amusement shone in her eyes. Smiling in response, Kaijin called out to the dog demon.

"Hey, Dog Butt!" He grinned as Inuyasha glared at him. "You'd better look out!"

"Huh?" Confused, Inuyasha turned back to face Kagome, who promptly disappeared under the water. Moments later, she sprang out behind him and clambered onto his back. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her arms about his neck.

She laughed delightedly. "Now try to get me off!"

Inuyasha blushed furiously as he tugged weakly at her arms. This was a new situation…Kagome, who was wearing remarkably little, was smeared across his bare back.

_...I wonder what Miroku would say about this?_

The following thought only made Inuyasha's blush worse.

Mock growling, Inuyasha tried to throw the girl from his back. It was hard to try to pry her arms and legs free without hurting her, especially when he couldn't truly work up the desire to remove her. Compromising, he spun violently around in the water, trying to disorient her enough to loosen her hold on him.

Eventually, Kagome let herself be flung off, enjoying the thrill of flying through the air before splashing into the water. Smiling, she swam away and watched as Kaijin used the opportunity to smack Inuyasha upside the head. The two immediately engaged in a water fight filled as much with splashes and sputters as it was punches and clumsy kicks.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome waded to shore and stretched out on the warm grass. Sighing happily, she closed her eyes and let herself relax for what felt like the first time in ages. She listened vaguely to the boys fighting as she bathed in sunlight. Her mind began to drift, and she didn't notice when the shadow from a nearby tree extended slightly, just barely touching her ear.__

_"WHO ARE YOU??" _

Eyes flying open, Kagome clapped her hands to her ears, sat up, and screamed.

* * *

Night descended over the land as the group trudged warily through the woods. Fighting the sudden chill, Kagome rubbed her arms.__

_What the heck was that earlier? A voice spoke in my head!_ Shaking off a shiver that raced down her spine, she glared at the two boys flanking her. They'd immediately rushed to her side (more or less, since Kaijin kept a hearty distance between them) when she'd screamed, and they'd gone off in search of anyone in the area, but neither had detected any presence.

Naturally, that _really_ bugged them.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome trudged along between the two demons. Sure, they'd acted like they weren't worried about the voice, but from that moment on, she hadn't been allowed any time to herself. Both boys had stationed themselves rather protectively near her (again, allowing for Kaijin's "personal space") even when she went to wash their clothes, and though she appreciated their concern, it really got on her nerves.

Of course, the moment Inuyasha had figured out that he was still wearing the swimming trunks rather made the whole thing worthwhile. _THAT_ expression wasn't one she'd forget anytime soon.

As they walked, Inuyasha frowned in mild discomfort. His hand had begun burning lightly a while ago, but he couldn't sense any changes. Glancing down, he noticed that the grin on his palm had sharpened, moving it from the jovial expression it had been to a positively menacing smirk. Unease rippled through him.__

_Is there any way that the Fox Goddess could be responsible for what happened to Kagome? Can she extend her power from me to the people around me?_ Clenching his hand into a fist, Inuyasha scowled at the dark forest before him.__

_She'd better not even TRY to hurt Kagome._

The boys came to a stop at the same time in a small clearing. Looking around, they judged its degree of safety, then glanced at each other and nodded wordlessly. Kaijin turned to Kagome.

"We'll rest here for the night, Lady Kagome."

Nodding, she dropped her bag to the ground, placed both hands on her hips, and arched her back.

"Oh man, that backpack weighs a _ton!_" She stretched her neck, placing one hand upon it. "It feels good to put it down!"

Kaijin frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "You should have told me it was too heavy, Lady Kagome. I would have carried it for you."

She and Inuyasha both glanced at him, Kagome with mild surprise, Inuyasha with mild irritation.

"That really wasn't necessary, Kaijin, but thank you." She smiled reassuringly when the demon still looked troubled. "Really, I'm fine. Besides, I'm the one who packed too much."

He made a low note in his throat in reply, but he still looked vaguely upset. Kagome tilted her head to the side. _Why does it bother him so much that I carried a heavy load? Is he that much of a gentleman?_

Attempting to reassure him, she walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for the concern, Kaijin, but I can handle it, ok?" Her smile faded at the expression on his face.

"…Kaijin?"

The demon's face had gone sheet white beneath the thin fur, and his muscles seemed to have locked in place. Perplexed, Kagome waved a hand in front of his face.

"Kaijin? You in there?"

Worried, she removed her hand from his shoulder. Kaijin reacted immediately, skittering backward, palms up.

"P-Please don't do that again, L-Lady Kagome. I beg of you."

Kagome blinked. "A-All right, I won't."

"Thank you." Visibly rattled, Kaijin wandered over to the far side of the clearing. He dropped onto all fours, walked around in three circles, and flopped gracefully (if that's possible) onto the ground. Ears twitching, he closed his eyes.

"What a weirdo," Inuyasha murmured after some time. "Why's he so scared of you, anyway?"

"I have no idea," Kagome replied. Shaking her head, she retrieved her sleeping bag and spread it on the ground. "Let's just go to bed and get it over with."

Inuyasha watched silently as she slipped into the bag and curled onto her side, promptly falling asleep. Lifting his left hand, he wrapped his fingers about his right wrist and flexed his aching palm. The heat grew steadily, seeping into his skin and turning it a mild pink color.

_So, puppy. What should I do with you? Your body can withstand a great deal of punishment, but can your mind?_

Inuyasha winced as he felt a presence scrape across his brain, a pair of claws scratching at the surface. Scowling, he clenched his right hand into a tight fist.

"Leave me alone, you bitch!" he snarled under his breath. The claws raking his mind turned to a cool caress as a chuckle echoed between his ears.

_Disrespect is an ugly thing, pup. _Inuyasha had the distinct impression of someone leaning close to whisper into his ear. Phantom breath warmed the twitching ear as ghostly fingers swept through his hair.

_I'm going to humiliate you._ Another chuckle. _And I'm going to love every second of it. _

A wave of bile rose up in Inuyasha's throat as his hand exploded with pain, stars flashing before his eyes. Gasping, he fell to his knees.

The world began to spin before him, and Inuyasha collapsed on the ground. Before the world went black, he lifted his head.

The last image he saw was of a sleeping Kagome as dark laughter filled the air.

* * *

Kaijin twitched restlessly in his sleep, his tail slapping the ground about him. One foot slid out, claws extending, and then abruptly pulled back in as he rolled over.

_"How could you? How could you do it to him?" a woman's voice shrieked._

Kaijin whimpered softly in his sleep, one fist curling under his face.

_"He was your brother! How could you betray him like that??"_

_He turned a pair of gleaming eyes towards her_...

_"Kaijin! NO!!"_

Gasping, Kaijin's eyes flew open, and he sat up, sweat rolling down his face. He took a few harsh breaths to calm himself, glancing warily at his sleeping companions. Neither seemed to have noticed him, so he laid back and stared up at the night sky, his hand lying open on his chest.

"I could have done without those memories." His expression darkened, his eyes flitting over to Inuyasha's sprawled form. "I wonder...was it because of you?"

A scowl of his face, Kaijin shook his head and rolled over, determined to sleep. His claws dug involuntarily into the ground as he forced himself into slumber.__

_"Kaijin_...

* * *

The shadowy figure leaned against a nearby tree, frowning as he contemplated the sleeping people before him.

"That dog demon has the scent of the Lord of the Western Lands. What the hell is he doing here?? And with a priestess, no less!" His frown deepened as he watched the tiger demon on the far side of the clearing wake, look around, and lay down. "And what is Lord Kaijin doing with them?"

A black scowl crossed his face. "The Lord won't be happy to hear about this."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the shadows.


	7. Pinky and the Brain

**Author's note: Ok, MUCH better. Keep up the reviewing, because the more you review, the faster I update. If I get another bout of straggling reviews, I get absolutely zero inspiration. After sorting out about ten ideas, I was able to get this down for you. Enjoy!**

**Keep the reviews coming!**

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha's too hot to handle. Goodbye.**

* * *

Inuyasha could feel his mind drifting through a world of darkness, the Fox Goddess' laughter echoing around him. 

_"So, what is it that you want the most, Puppy? What dreams do you cherish?"_

He scowled as cool fingers sifted through his memories. He tried to shout, "Leave me alone!", but his lips refused to move. Frustrated, he tried to struggle, but he remained in his sleeping position.

Abruptly, the Goddess seized upon something in his mind and chuckled. _"Delightful. Let's see how this plays out, shall we?"_

Growling silently, Inuyasha tensed. _Keep your filthy hands off my brain, you witch!_

The Goddess simply continued to laugh. As it echoed in the darkness, her laugh began to rise in pitch, and it developed a steady beat. Inuyasha strained against the darkness._ Damn her!_

_"Heh heh heh heh eh eh eh EH EH EE-EE-EE-EE-EE!"_

The shrill noise pounded against his ears, dragging him from the world of darkness. Groaning, Inuyasha tried to move away from it, but the rhythmic _beep_ burrowed its way into his ear. Giving up, Inuyasha lifted a hand...

...And smashed the alarm clock.

Inuyasha released a satisfied grunt and let his hand flop back onto the bed beside him. The warm sheets enveloped him, sending him blissfully back into the realm of sleep...

"Inuyasha! Get up!" Footsteps stomped loudly into the room and paused by his side. "It's past 7 already, you slug. Wake up!"

Inuyasha grunted angrily and waved a hand. "Lemme 'lone. G'way."

"Inuyasha..." The voice took on a menacing tone, and one of the feet by the bed started tapping. "I'm not going to tell you again."

In response, Inuyasha rolled onto his stomach, picked up his pillow, and pulled it down over his head.

"All right, fine. No more Mrs. Nice Guy."

With those words, she ripped his covers off.

Whimpering, Inuyasha curled into a fetal position as cool air swept over him. Still keeping his pillow pressed firmly over his head, he listened as she rolled up the shades and flinched when slivers of light began to filter in around the pillow.

"I'm not going to tell you again, Inuyasha. Either you get up, or I'm dumping a bucket of water on you." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Inuyasha lay still for a few more moments, but the battle was lost. Sighing, he tossed the pillow aside and sat up, rubbing blearily at his eyes.

"I swear that woman is evil," he grumbled under his breath. He stood slowly and stumbled over to his dresser, rubbing his hand over his bare chest. Snagging a red shirt and a pair of jeans, he turned slowly to the door and walked out of his room, making his way to the shower.

Dropping his clothes on the floor, Inuyasha turned the shower on hot water, took off his boxers (he couldn't be persuaded to wear more than that to bed. What was the point?), and got in. Still groggy, Inuyasha let the water pour over his white hair, his ears dropping.

Slowly, Inuyasha opened his eyes and focused on the shower mechanism before him. His eyes slowly widened.

"What...the...hell?"

As his brain kicked back into gear, Inuyasha's breathing quickened. He stared at the faucets, letting panic slide through him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE???"

Yelling like a maniac, Inuyasha threw himself out of the shower, slipped on the linoleum floor, and landed heavily on the ground. He skittered away from the source of the gushing water.

"What the hell is that?? And how did I know how to use it??" Swallowing hard, he looked around the bathroom. Nothing looked familiar. He definitely wasn't in Kagome's house, since he'd used their bath once (though it certainly wasn't an experience he was going to repeat).

Where the hell was he??

Footsteps came running, and before he had time to prepare, the bathroom door flew open.

"Inuyasha, are you all right?? What happened?"

Blushing furiously, Inuyasha dove for the nearest towel and wrapped it around his middle. He stood, staring at the woman before him. His voice died in his throat.

_M-Mom??_

Inuyasha's mother frowned at him in concern, striding forward to place her hands on both sides of his face.

"Inuyasha, are you all right? Did you slip in the shower?" She began checking him for injury. "Why did you yell, sweetheart?"

Inuyasha couldn't move. His mother was here?? She was alive? Where exactly was "here," anyway?? Swallowing hard, he stared with wide eyes as the woman who'd been dead for years checked him once more for injury, then smiled at him.

"I don't think you're hurt anywhere, though you're being remarkably quiet. If you're going to slip in the shower, at least knock some sense into your head, ok?" Eyes glittering with warmth, she pressed a kiss to her son's forehead.

Tears leaped unbidden to Inuyasha's eyes, though he tramped down on them before they could spill free. Her words washed over him as she passed an affectionate hand through his hair.__

_My mother's alive. She's standing right here in front of me._ Inuyasha closed his eyes. _My mother's alive._

"Well then, if you're ok, hurry up and get dressed. Breakfast is already on the table, and if you wait too long, you'll miss the bus and Sesshomaru will have to drive you to school."

"SESSHOMARU??" Inuyasha stared at his mother, mouth agape. "I live in the same house as that asshole??"

Inuyasha's mother frowned. "Don't call your brother names, Inuyasha, if you even WANT a breakfast. I know you hate it when he drives you to school, but as long as your father's away on business, he's the only one who can." A warning glint in her eye, she turned to leave. "Now get ready."

Inuyasha stood still as the door closed. His brain spun frantically. _How can this be possible? Mom AND Dad are alive, and we all live together? Including Sesshomaru?? And why the hell are we in the future?_

The answer niggled at the back of his brain, and Inuyasha's hand started to hurt. Irritated, he shook the pain away.

"I'll figure it out later." Chest bursting with some unrecognizable emotion, Inuyasha toweled himself off and got dressed, then hustled down the stairs.__

_I have a family... _

* * *

The sound of Inuyasha's smothered yelp jerked Kagome from her slumber. Yawning, she glanced across the darkened clearing at him. A worried frown marred his face, and he began to toss and turn in his sleep. 

_He must be having a nightmare._ Concerned, Kagome crawled over to him and rested a hand on his chest.

"Inuyasha? Inuyasha, wake up," she called gently. His ears twitched in response, and he slowly stopped struggling, though his eyes didn't open. When he continued to frown, she shook him gently. "Inuyasha?"

His face smoothed slightly, rolling to the side facing her. Mumbling something under his breath, he seemed to fall deeper into sleep. Kagome sat up, biting her lip.

"I wonder if he's ok now." Watching him carefully, she returned to her sleeping bag. As soon as she laid a hand on her bag, however, he started to whimper. She sighed as he began to toss and turn again.

"All right, but don't you go blaming me tomorrow." Resolutely, she picked up her sleeping bag, spread it beside him, and laid on top of it, gazing at him. His nostrils flared briefly before he calmed again, relaxing on the side facing her. Smiling softly, Kagome lifted a hand and gently ran her fingers through one of his forelocks.

"I'm here, Inuyasha. You can relax now." Her smile grew as her words seemed to register, since his face promptly smoothed. _I wonder what he'd say if he knew about this._ Snorting softly, she closed her eyes.

_Well, it doesn't really matter._ A soft blush graced her face, and she opened an eye to sneak one last peek at him.__

_He's cute when he's asleep._

* * *

Inuyasha picked slowly at his food, staring incredulously across the table. After a few tense moments of silence, his brother lowered the newspaper and aimed a cold glare at him. 

"And what, exactly, is your problem?" His impassive face showed only the slightest bit of irritation.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha smirked at Sesshomaru. "Just marveling at a guy who has nothing better to do with his life than drive his little brother to...school." He hesitated on the last word, the syllable sounding foreign to his ears.

Lips tightening, Sesshomaru merely picked up his newspaper and continued ignoring him.

"Be nice, Inuyasha." His mother glanced over from the sink. "By the way, you'll have to leave soon if you want to walk to the bus stop with your little girlfriend."

Inuyasha froze. "Girlfriend?" He slowly lowered his chopsticks. _No way. It couldn't be._

Inuyasha's mother chuckled. "No need to be coy, sweetie. I know very well you've been dating that darling Higurashi girl for months now."

Heart pounding, Inuyasha stared fixedly at the table. _That_..._Higurashi girl?_ His brain refused to comprehend that fact. _It's not possible! There's no way that she_..._that she and I are_...

As if on cue, a soft knock rapped on the front door.

Inuyasha's mother smiled. "That must be her now." Wiping her hands on a dishcloth, she strode out of sight. "Oh, Kagome-chan!" her voice called from the front door. "Please, come in. Inuyasha's almost ready."

"Thank you, Mrs. Shiroi!" Kagome's cheerful voice rang down the hallway. Inuyasha's ears twitched frantically as she made her way down the hall, his mind still whispering denials. He glanced up as she entered the kitchen, her bookbag slung over her shoulder.

"Well, Inuyasha? Ready to go?"

He nodded dumbly, allowing her to take his hand and pull him towards the door. His heart started pounding furiously as he clutched the soft skin of her hand. _This can't be real. It just can't be! Kagome and I are_..._seeing each other?_ He stared as she handed him his bookbag, which had been gathering dust by the front door. She wrinkled her nose at it.

"Have you even opened it once since you got it, Inuyasha?" She rolled her eyes at his blank stare. "Never mind. Don't answer that." Leaning to the side, she waved at Inuyasha's mother. "Bye, Mrs. Shiroi!"

Inuyasha turned to see his mother smile sweetly and wave at him. A lump formed in his throat, but before he could decide what that meant, Kagome tugged him out the door. As they walked down the street, he stared back at his house. His _house._ A small bubble of joy burst in his heart, and he allowed a smile to work its way across his face. However it had happened, Inuyasha now not only had a family he apparently got along with, but he also had a home, a future...and...

Suddenly shy, he snuck a glance at Kagome. Catching his glance, she smiled at him.

"What's with you this morning, huh? You're never this quiet for this long." She grinned, reaching up to whack him lightly on the chest. "Don't tell me you've been _thinking._ I don't think I could handle the shock!"

He pulled a face at the insult, but his expression immediately sobered. "Kagome..." Hesitating, he took her hand and drew to a stop. She looked at him curiously.

"What? If we don't get a move on, we'll miss the bus, and we'll be late for sure!"

"Kagome, are we...are we really..." He swallowed, lowering his gaze to their clasped hands. His voice dropped to a whisper. "...Are we really going out?"

She made no reply for a long moment. His heart sinking, he turned away.

"Forget it. Just forget I said anything." He started to walk, but a tug on his hand drew him to a stop. Frowning, he turned towards her. "Look, I said for—"

His words ceased abruptly when Kagome placed a hand on each side of his face, lifted onto her tiptoes, and kissed him.

_WHAAAAAAT???_ Eyes huge, Inuyasha stared down at Kagome. He could hear all the fuses in his brain blowing, and if he didn't know better, he would swear the ground was moving. Trembling, he wrapped his arms about her waist and pulled her against him. _Can't believe this is happening! There's no way!! _He closed his eyes as she wrapped her arms about his neck. _There's just_..._no_..._way_...

After a moment, Kagome drew back and smiled up at him. "Still have any doubts?"

Shaking his head slowly, Inuyasha stared incredulously down at her. _It's real. I can't believe it, but this is real! I'm actually_..._I'm actually dating Kagome!_ A huge grin split his face. _I'm dating Kagome!!!_

Laughing, he pulled her into a tight hug and inhaled her wonderful scent.__

_Everything is perfect. For the first time in my life, NOTHING is wrong._

At that moment, his hand started to hurt. Irritated, he pulled away from Kagome and rubbed his palm, which was growing redder by the second. "What the hell?" Growling, he shook his hand. _Way to ruin the mood!_ _And just when everything was going perfectly._

His ears twitched as maniacal laughter filled the air. "Huh? Where is that laugh coming from?"

Kagome gave him an odd look. "What laugh?"

He frowned down at her, a sinking feeling in his gut. Something bad was going to happen, he could feel it. But what on earth could—

_BOOOOOM!!!_

Thinking quickly, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and threw them both to the ground as a wave of smoke and debris blasted towards them. A horrible feeling in his stomach, he lifted his head.

"That was a bomb." Sweat ran down the side of his face. "And I think I know where it went off."

Heart pounding, he helped Kagome to her feet and ran towards the wreckage. People were streaming out of their houses, shouting and crying, and cars were swerving dangerously to the side of the road. Inuyasha slowed to a stop before the site of the explosion.

His house was gone.

The entire building had been vaporized from the blast, only a horrid pile of charred timber and warped metal left behind. In a daze, Inuyasha walked forward.

"Mom..."

A hand snagged his arm and pulled him back. "No, kid! Don't go over there!" A slow glance in his direction revealed a police uniform and a grim expression. "No one could have survived an explosion like that."

Sirens began wailing as more cop cars and Rescue Squad vans pulled up. Mild panic began to fill the streets.

As Inuyasha stood staring blankly at the wreckage, a black car pulled up alongside him. A man wearing a black suit slowly emerged from the car and walked over to him.

"Inuyasha Shiroi?"

After a moment, Inuyasha peeled his eyes from what was left of his house and turned to the man. "Yeah?"

The man's mouth was set in a grim line. "I know this is poor timing, but I have very bad news about your father. It seems that his train jumped the tracks, and—"

"SHUT UP!" Clapping his hands to his ears, Inuyasha turned away. _My entire family just died?? I just found out that I HAD a family, and now..._ He closed his eyes in pain. _Just as quickly, it's all being taken away. My family, my home..._

Slowly, Inuyasha opened his eyes. _No. That can't be next._ Lowering his hands, he turned towards Kagome, who still stood in the street, horror and tears painting her face. She looked at him, the words _I'm so sorry_ passing her lips. Inuyasha didn't even hear them.

A car was headed straight for her.

Time seemed to slow down as the car approached. Inuyasha started to run towards her, knowing with every step that he wouldn't make it. His right hand burning furiously, he stretched it out towards her in desperation.__

_No way! I can't lose Kagome like this! I can't lose her!!!_

A confused smile on her face, Kagome reached out and took his right hand.__

_SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!_

Kagome screamed and jumped into Inuyasha's arms as the car suddenly swerved, missing the slender girl by inches. Careening wildly, the car sailed over the curb and slammed into a telephone pole.

Kagome trembled against Inuyasha. "Oh my god. I could've been killed!"

Inuyasha couldn't formulate a reply, instead bringing his arms up to crush her against him. _I almost lost you!_ He squeezed his eyes shut. _I don't know what I would've done...if you'd been hurt._ He frowned slightly. _But why was all of this happening, anyway? How could someone not only give me everything I want, but try to take it all away?_

Abruptly, a strange scent passed his nose. When he glanced up, he noticed a slim figure dart down an alleyway. Inuyasha's frown increased.

"A fox's scent...?" Gasping, Inuyasha straightened. "That's right! The Fox Goddess set this all up! That's why my hand hurt when everything started going wrong." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "That _bitch!_"

He started to move in the direction of that shadowy figure, but a sudden thought brought him to a stop. _Wait a minute. My hand was killing me before when Kagome was about to be run over. Why was she spared? And why doesn't my hand hurt anymore?_ Confused, he stepped back from Kagome and glanced at his palm.

It was still clasped by hers.

His eyes widened. _T-that's right! As soon as she touched my hand, the damn doodle cooled off, and the car missed. And I think the last time she touched it, it cooled off then, too. Could it be that—_

His thoughts were halted as the world suddenly went black. All he could feel was an angry presence surrounding him, throwing him around in the darkness. A smirk crossed his face.

"You're just upset because I got too close, aren't you?"

He sensed something akin to a little girl stamping her foot. Abruptly, phantom fingers yanked hard on his hair and cold breath blasted against his cheek.__

_"You, Puppy, are no fun at all."_

Why those words sent a chill down his spine, he didn't know.

Before Inuyasha could even open his mouth to reply, he felt himself hurled back to earth. Grunting, he opened his eyes to the brightening campsite. Kaijin still lay on his end of the clearing, Inuyasha was on his, and Kagome was...

Kagome was...

The remnants of sleep immediately packed up and dove out of his brain as he stared down at her. He didn't know when she'd decided to move to his side, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Especially since she was currently snuggled up against his chest.

Inuyasha's heart started pounding as he took in their position. At some point during the night, she had decided to use his chest as a pillow. One small arm was flung across his middle, and she snored softly against his collarbone.

A blush flew across his face as she murmured softly and snuggled closer, the arm around his waist tightening. Unable to stop himself, Inuyasha brought his arms up around her and held her tight against him. Her scent wafted up to him, clouding his senses. Swallowing hard, he lifted his chin and stared up at the night sky.

..._What do I do now?_

His ponderings ceased as Kagome began to stir. Yawning, she lifted her head and blinked blearily at him.

"'Nuyasha?" She gazed sleepily at his red face for a long moment before her brain finally clicked on. Blushing furiously, she sat up and lowered her eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Uh, sorry about that."

Flustered and awkward, Inuyasha sat up, crossed his arms, and looked away. "F-forget about it."

The two sat in awkward silence for a long moment before Inuyasha glanced towards her. "Are you always so clingy in your sleep?"

"Clingy??" Surprised, Kagome met his gaze. "Hey, you were the one who apparently couldn't bear for me to be away from your side last night."

His color intensified, and he narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

She started to reply, but she only let out a strangled sound as she changed her mind and closed her mouth. Shaking her head, she smiled. "Oh, just forget I said anything." Yawning again, she glanced at the slowly brightening sky.

"So, should we just get up now, or catch a few more hours of sleep?"

Inuyasha thought of his "dreams" and shuddered. "Let's get up. I want to get to the Fox Goddess' lair as soon as possible." Climbing to his feet, he folded his arms into his sleeves and glared at the tiger demon lying on his back a few meters away. "Now we just need to get Cat Breath up."

"I'm already awake, Inuyasha." Both jumped at the unexpected rumble of Kaijin's voice. The tiger's eyes immediately opened and he sat up, a grim expression on his face. Lifting a hand, he passed it over the shadows under his eyes.

_Damn dreams plagued me all night._ Irritated, he rose to his feet and turned towards Inuyasha.

"Hey, Dog Butt. Before we get going, what do you say we spar for a bit? After all, half the reason I came along with you was to train." He nodded towards Kagome. "Perhaps you could make breakfast, Lady Kagome? If it isn't too much trouble."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "No, I wouldn't mind." She glanced at Inuyasha. "What do you think?"

Inuyasha's brow was furrowed as he took in the tiger's change of attitude. Just yesterday the idiot had been joking and carefree, but today he seemed...intense. Smirking, Inuyasha cracked his claws.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I wouldn't mind kicking your ass for breakfast." He kept a cocky grin on his face as Kaijin simply nodded and began walking away from the clearing, but a worm of unease wriggled through him. _What's Cat Breath's problem all of a sudden?_ He shook himself abruptly and fingered the hilt of his Tetsusaiga.__

_Well, I'll just knock that problem right out of him._

* * *

An hour later, Inuyasha dropped heavily to the ground, his chest heaving. Sweat sliding down the side of his face, he lifted a hand to swipe a line of blood from his lip. Growling, he turned to face Kaijin, who'd sheathed his sword and perched on a nearby branch. The cat's fingers rested on the hilt of his sword. 

Inuyasha spat on the ground and climbed to his feet, holding out his Tetsusaiga. An hour of running around and getting knocked down, burned, and scratched had left him battered, but Kaijin looked remarkably unhurt. Scowling, Inuyasha tightened his grip on his sword.__

_Dammit, why the hell can't I hit him?? Is he really that fast?_ Inuyasha's ears twitched as Kaijin abruptly leapt to the side, then launched himself at the dog demon. Inuyasha barely got Tetsusaiga up in time to block as Kaijin's sword flashed out of its sheath. The two swords howled against each other, the horrible din chafing both demons' ears. Snarling, they parted and began circling each other.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at the mostly calm Kaijin. _If he really is that fast...I should be able to at least judge how far away he is! Sesshomaru's fast, but at least I know where he is!_ Grunting, he managed to throw himself to the side as Kaijin threw a punch. His scowl increased. _Dammit, something doesn't add up!_

Turning on him, Inuyasha swung his sword. "Kaze no kizu!!"

Kaijin's eyes narrowed and the tiger blurred, shifting out of the way. Inuyasha took the chance to run closer, claws at the ready.

"Sankon Tessou!" Because he saw Kaijin start to move, Inuyasha aimed his attack in front of him. _Heh. Let's see if this works!_

Hissing under his breath, Kaijin narrowly avoided the attack. Inuyasha cursed.

"How the hell did you get in front of that??" He scowled at Kaijin as the tiger turned to face him.

_Hold it._

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the tiger's face. Sure enough, a small cut had caught him on the cheek. Inuyasha frowned. _Wait a minute. If the attack hit him, he should be cut in the back, shouldn't he? How could it catch him on the face?_

Before he could figure it out, Kaijin appeared before him and threw a right hook. Straining his muscles, Inuyasha quickly managed to dodge, and a smirk started to form as the punch...

...Hit?

"Oomph!!" Grunting, Inuyasha hit the dirt and slid backwards. He blinked up at the sky for a moment before sitting up. _How did he manage to hit me? I could swear I saw his arm going past me...wait a minute._ Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha stood and leveled his sword on Kaijin.

"Try this on for size, Cat Breath! Kaze no kizu!!"

He smirked as Kaijin began to dodge...

"OMMPH!!" The tiger demon howled as he was caught in the blast, and he was hurled through the air.__

_B-bmp._

With a strange hissing noise, Kaijin's sword emitted a black cloud and surrounded Kaijin, shielding him from the worst of the blast. When the attack dwindled, the black shield dissolved, and the tiger fell heavily to the ground.

"Hah! I got you!!" Grinning, Inuyasha sheathed his sword. "What do you think about _that_, big shot?"

Slowly, Kaijin lifted one hand and placed it firmly on the ground, then the other, and finally pushed himself to his knees.

"How," he started to ask, his voice hoarse, "did you manage to hit me?"

"_Feh_ I knew something was off with your dodging the whole time." Inuyasha smirked. "You aren't as fast as you appear to be, Cat Breath."

Kagome poked her head out from behind a tree. "Inuyasha? You actually figured out how to hit Kaijin?"

He glowered at her incredulous tone of voice. "Why the hell wouldn't I?"

She smiled weakly. "Well, normally, all you do is just keep doing the same attack over and over, even if it doesn't work."

He growled. "As a matter of fact, I've figured out that Kaijin isn't really moving as quickly as he looks like he is." He turned to the tiger, who was carefully rising to his feet. "So I aimed just a little ahead of him, behind where it _looked_ like he was going, and..." He smirked. "Bingo."

"Wow, Inuyasha! I'm really impressed!" Kagome beamed at him. Inuyasha blushed slightly, but he couldn't help feeling that she was just a _little_ too impressed for his comfort. Was it really _that_ amazing that he could figure something out?

"I'm impressed, too, Dog Butt." Kaijin lifted the back of his hand to his mouth and wiped some blood away. "I didn't think you'd ever figure it out." He pulled a pained smirk, his first smile of the day. "Maybe you aren't a total loss after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Irritated, Inuyasha put his hand to his sword hilt. Kaijin merely lifted a hand and shook his head.

"I'm not up for more fighting right now, Inuyasha. Let's go eat, shall we?" With that, he started walking back towards the clearing, following Kagome at a leisurely pace.

Grudgingly, Inuyasha lowered his hand and followed alongside Kaijin. The tiger paused for a moment, glancing at Inuyasha.

"But what I meant was that the next time we fight...I'm not holding back."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and his shoulders tensed, but neither said a word for the rest of the walk back.

* * *

After eating, the three set off again, Kagome riding on Inuyasha's back. Now that Inuyasha knew Kaijin wasn't really moving as quickly as he thought, he could see what was really happening when the tiger moved. Kaijin had a way of moving that made his stripes blur together, confusing the eye and making his opponent think that he had covered more distance than he really had. He was still quick, but Kaijin was able to take advantage of his enemy's overcompensation. 

Inuyasha smirked, his ego swelling. _He thought he could hide it from me? Hah! That'll show him!_

Kaijin glanced over at the dog demon, whose chest was puffed out with pride. Lifting an eyebrow, he subtly shortened his leap and smiled when Inuyasha unconsciously followed suit.

"Say, Dog Butt."

Inuyasha glared at him, lifting his chin. "What?"

"Look out below."

"Huh?" As Inuyasha glanced down, he landed right in a deep pool of thick, black muck. "ARRRRRRGH!!"

Kaijin simply laughed. "Serves you right for being so cocky, Puppy Face."

Inuyasha growled. "Don't you even _THINK_ about calling me that!"

"What's the matter, Puppy Face? Did I hurt your _feelings?_"

"Shut up!!"

"Puppy Face! Puppy Face!"

"I'm gonna..."

Kagome rolled her eyes as the two engaged in a bout of chasing and cat calling. _Boys. How immature can you get?_ She looked curiously at Kaijin's laughing face. _At least he seems to be in a better mood._

Kaijin smirked as Inuyasha spat curses at him, easily keeping ahead of the dog demon. "Maybe I'm not as fast as I look, but I'm still faster than you, _Puppy Face!_" Laughing, he kept running ahead.

_I never would have suspected him of figuring out my trick so quickly. Maybe he isn't as thickheaded as he looks._ He smiled. _Or maybe he just got lucky. Either way, it will definitely be worth my time to_..._"train" him._

Kaijin's smile faded as he took in the rising sun.

_Maybe then_..._I can take back what's rightfully mine._

* * *

**Fyi, Shiroi means white. I thought it fit, lol.**

**Review! **


	8. Memoirs of the Forgotten

**Author's note: Sorry about the delay guys...me spraining my ankle and a powerful bout of writer's block did not a good writing environment make. Now that I have a better idea of where I'm going, I'll update more frequently.**

**Given, naturally, that you all REVIEW on this chapter. I know a lot of people are reading, so review! You naughty people you. :-P**

* * *

In a darkened room deep in the mountains, a lean, muscular man sat back in an overstuffed chair and propped his feet on an intricately carved wooden table. Shadows mingled with the soft smoke filling the air, swirling about him as he lazily puffed on a long pipe. The only light in the room filtered in from a nearby window, spreading cautiously on the floor before him. 

His ears twitched at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Come in." His voice was low, just a hair away from menacing. The door quietly slid open, and with only a faint blurring movement before it, the door shut again. The man smiled; if he hadn't known better, he would have sworn he was still alone.

"Well?" he questioned when his visitor made no effort to speak. "I'm certain you didn't come here to stare at me."

The figure in the shadows slowly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I have some…interesting news."

"Oh?" An elegant eyebrow lifted, and a long, lithe tail lifted to tap gently upon the table. "And what news would that be?"

"Lord Kaijin has been found."

The tapping stopped.

"Kaijin?" The voice was quiet, nearly inaudible. The figure in the shadows shifted uneasily.

"Yes, your Highness. I spotted him in the forest yesterday, in the company of a priestess…and a son of Inu no taisho."

"What?" The word was ground out of the man's throat. Slowly, he lowered his feet to the ground and rose, his feline form towering in the darkness. His eyes gleamed dangerously. "Are you telling me that that _boy_ has teamed up with an heir to the throne of the Western lands?"

The demon swallowed with difficulty as the Lord of the Southern Lands stalked over to him.

"Well, technically…" He took a step back as the tremendous tiger demon came to a stop before him. "…Yes."

In a flash, the Lord's arm darted out and wrapped around the demon's throat, slowly lifting him off the ground.

"You're loyal to me, right, Kage?"

Sputtering, the demon nodded.

"Then I suggest you take care of the matter. Kaijin alone is no threat, but if he gains allies from the West, he can become troublesome." His expression darkened. "It's bad enough that he won the sword. I won't have him win this throne. Is that understood?"

"Yes…Sire…" Kage choked out. His hands clutched feebly at the Lord's muscled arm. When the Lord suddenly released him, he collapsed on the floor in a heap and rubbed his sore throat. He glanced up as the Lord turned his back on him and moved forward, coming to a stop in the faint patch of light. His frame seemed to take on an unearthly glow in the light, the rest of his silhouette turning black as night.

"I want you to take care of the Western heir. Destroy him, lure him away, I don't care. Just get him away from Kaijin." He strode out of the light, back into the shadows surrounding his chair. Easing back into the cushions, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and stared at the ceiling. "On second thought…bring him to me. A son of Inu no taisho can prove invaluable, if he is properly…managed."

Smiling grimly, the Lord of the Southern Lands turned his gleaming eyes on the shadow demon.

"Make sure he is suitably prepared for his future servitude as well." Smirking, he turned away. "I'm sure you know what to do, Kage."

Eager to depart, the demon swept a deep bow and backed into the shadows. With a faint whispering of the door, he was gone. The Lord smiled to himself and picked up his forgotten pipe. Snapping his fingers, he sent a spark into the narrow opening and leaned back to enjoy the smoke.

"Oh, Kaijin. All these years apart, and this is how you choose to resurface?" He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You always were a bother."

As the shadows moved in to mingle greedily with his smoke, he grinned. A subtle gleam flashed on his teeth.

"Be careful, my boy. Those who are too troublesome must always be dealt with." Lifting a hand, he inspected his claws.

"…And I can guarantee that you will not enjoy it."

* * *

Kaijin shivered as a sudden chill raced down his spine. _Someone was just talking about me…and not in a pleasant way._ Uneasy, he glanced over his shoulder as he raced through the forest, but all he could detect was the mildly irritated dog demon behind him and the priestess he carried. 

Inuyasha glowered at him. "What's your problem, anyway? You've checked your back about six times since our last break."

Kaijin blinked at him, then shook his head. "It's nothing. Just a…feeling."

"A feeling?" His frown deepened. "What kind of _feeling?_"

The tiger just smiled weakly at Inuyasha. "Don't worry about it. I'm probably just being paranoid."

Ignoring Inuyasha's unconvinced scowl, Kaijin turned back around. His eyes focused on the distant mountains that had just barely begun to pierce the horizon. A sense of desperation suddenly swept over him. If he could just make it to those mountains, he'd be okay. If he could just make it there…

Shaking his head roughly, he forced down the irrational spurts of panic. For some reason, they'd been plaguing him since this morning. First he'd had those horrible memories, and soon after the never-fading sense that they were being followed had appeared. Despite the warmth of the air and the blazing sun above, a chill wind seemed to be chasing him.

As he shivered for the umpteenth time, a worried frown collected on his face.

_I've felt this chill before._

Kaijin stumbled and his eyes went wide as a faint memory struggled to surface. He could see himself, as a child, running frantically as the cold rushed to meet him. The humid air seemed to freeze solid and crash to the ground as his tiny feet ran, and still the shadows came to claim him…

"Kaijin? Are you all right?"

Blinking, the tiger turned to glance at Kagome. At some point, Inuyasha had caught up to him and begun to run alongside him, giving the tiger a strange look all the while. Kaijin smiled for the priestess, shifting to the side to put a little more space between them.

"I'm fine, Lady Kagome. There's no need to worry."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "That does it." Grunting, he dropped to the ground and slid to a stop. Crouching, he left Kagome climb off his back and straightened, stalking over to the confused tiger demon.

"You're hiding something from us, aren't you, Cat Breath?" His scowl deepened as Kaijin just gave him a blank stare. "Guys like you put a lot of faith in their instincts. We're being followed, aren't we?"

Kaijin shifted uncomfortably. "I can't say for sure, but…yes, there's a chance that we're being followed."

Kagome glanced at the forest behind her, but the trees seemed just as friendly as they normally did. She couldn't sense any evil following them. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm _not_ sure." He sighed, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "I just…feel anxious."

Inuyasha snorted. "_Anxious?_ Give me a break. If it's something that'll get Mr. High-and-Mighty nervous, it might actually be worth fighting." Folding his arms in his sleeves, he glanced around. "What exactly do you think is tailing us?"

"Cold. Cold and shadows." Kaijin's murmur was almost inaudible, but Inuyasha's ears picked it up. The dog demon glanced back at him, slightly unnerved by the haunted look that had suddenly dawned in Kaijin's eyes.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean??"

"Huh?" Kaijin blinked, and the haunted look disappeared, leaving Inuyasha to wonder if he'd really seen it. "Oh, never mind." Suddenly all smiles, Kaijin waved a hand dismissively. "That was just me babbling away. Let's move on, shall we?"

With that, he leapt to a nearby branch and took off. Inuyasha reluctantly crouched to let Kagome onto his back and followed.

After a moment, Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Something's really bothering him, isn't it?"

"Duh. He's been acting weird all _day_." Inuyasha frowned. "The thing is, if he thought something was following us, why didn't he just say so? Why keep it to himself?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "Well, he did say that he wasn't sure something was after us." She glanced down at him. "Have you picked up on anything?"

Inuyasha hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Not a scent. I don't know what crawled up Cat Breath's butt, but whatever it is, I sure as hell can't pick up on it." Growling softly, he struggled to keep up with the tiger's increased speed. "He'd better not be keeping anything important from us."

Kagome tightened her hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm sure if it were bad, Kaijin would tell us."

Inuyasha only grunted in reply. Tossing his head to the side, he let out a snort. "It's not like I need to rely on _him_ anyway. I can still sniff out a demon before it gets anywhere near us, dammit."

Kagome smiled. "I never said you couldn't, Inuyasha."

"Hmph." Inuyasha glanced back at the girl, trying to discern if she was mocking him, but all she did was smile at him. Abruptly, Kagome's smile turned playful, and she leaned forward to lock her arms tightly around his neck. Her chin rested on his shoulder, and her eyes sparkled at him.

Swallowing hard, Inuyasha tried not to think about the fact that her scent was absolutely clogging his nose, or that it smelled _really_ good…or that she looked really…cute…when she looked at him like that…or that…if he turned his head just a _little_ bit…he could…

_Gah! What the hell am I thinking??_ Blushing, Inuyasha looked away and forcefully pounded those ideas out of his head. Clearing his throat, he spoke gruffly.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You're giving me the creeps." His blush grew brighter as her smile only grew.

"You're falling too far behind Kaijin." Eyes gleaming, she sat slightly back and tightened her grip on his waist with her legs. While Inuyasha fought to keep his blush from spreading further, she reached forward and grabbed his forelocks, pulling them gently back towards her.

Inuyasha frowned and glanced back at her. "Hey, what do you think you're—"

"Inuyasha?"

His ears tweaked at the tone of her voice. "Hey, you wouldn't be dumb enough do that while I'm carrying you, would you?"

Her giggle didn't reassure him.

"Inuyasha…"

"K-Kagome, don't—"

"MUSH!"

Inuyasha's face fell into shock as she tugged on his forelocks, shaking them like reins. Laughing, she mimicked cracking a whip.

"Mush, boy! Mush!!"

Inuyasha's eye twitched.

"WILL YOU STOP TREATING ME LIKE A DAMN DOG??" He scowled when she only continued to laugh.

"And what the hell does 'mush' mean, anyway??"

* * *

Kage peered out of the shadows as he followed the trio, his form slipping silently along in the darkness. A grim smile settled over his lips. _It doesn't take long to cover distance when you move within the shadows. A trip from the mountains can be completed in a matter of minutes._

Easily keeping pace with the traveling group, the demon kept an eye on the boy from the West. A gleam of something akin to pity and regret flashed through his eyes, but it was soon replaced by cold calculation.

"The Lord wants the boy under his control. It may be difficult to drag him to the castle without a sufficient…cause." He stared at the dog demon's shadow as he raced over he ground. _It's a pitiful way to go…but it's the surest way to get him to do what we want._

Sighing, the demon fell back to a safe distance and decided to wait for his chance to strike.

* * *

As the heat of the day steadily rose, Kaijin's anxiety melted away. He still couldn't quite shake the feeling that they were being followed, but dammit, he wasn't of noble blood for nothing! He was a son of the Lord of the Southern Lands, and if something wanted to mess with him, so be it! 

A familiar smirk settling onto his face, he moved to land beside a river. He lifted a hand to wipe at his brow, turning to smile at his companions.

"We can afford to take a break. You two can cool off a bit here."

Kagome slid off Inuyasha's back and stretched her arms over her head. "Sounds good to me." Moving towards the riverbank, she dropped to her knees and began splashing the cool water over her arms and face.

Inuyasha used the opportunity to stretch out his arms, cracking his shoulder as he rotated the limb. Scowling irritably, he stalked over to the water.

"Do we have to keep stopping every ten seconds? At this rate, we'll never get to the Fox Goddess' den!" Standing beside Kagome, he growled down at the grinning doodle on his palm. His scowl fell away as he regarded the doodle more closely. Its cheerful smile had been replaced by a malicious grin, the upturned eyes slanted angrily.

An uneasy feeling filled him as he stared at the doodle. It felt almost as if someone were staring right back at him through the doodle, watching him for any opportunity to strike. As he gazed, he was given the sense of a tremendous force pressing against a barrier, clawing at it, just begging to be released and destroy him…

"Inuyasha?"

His breath became shallow and his face blanched. Did this power, this evil intent…belong to the Fox Goddess?? His hand began to shake. _What the hell am I thinking?? I'm going to try to stop **that**?? I must be crazy!_

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Kagome straightened at the barely disguised terror on his face. "What's the matter??"

"I must be absolutely crazy!" His voice came out harsh and shaky, and his eyes never left the doodle on his palm. His face grew even paler as the doodle began to warm and turn a fiery red. "She'll kill me! I can't go up against her…she'll just tear me to pieces!!"

"Inuyasha, snap out of it!" Kagome placed her hands on both of his shoulders and shook him gently. His vacant eyes wouldn't reach hers, drawn as they were to his palm. Biting her lip, she shook him harder.

"Inuyasha, come on! Snap out of it already!" His eyes slowly came up to meet hers, but they seemed to look straight through her.

"I can't do it," he whispered raggedly. "I'll kill myself before she has the chance!!"

"What?" Kagome gasped as Inuyasha suddenly shoved past her and splashed his way into the river. Kaijin glanced up from his seated position further down the riverbank, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

"What's gotten into him?" Worried, he rose to his feet and leapt into the water, landing before the panicking dog demon. "Hey, Puppy Face, what's gotten into—"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!" His eyes wide and tinged with red, Inuyasha threw a vicious punch at the tiger demon.

_CRACK!_

Unprepared for the attack, Kaijin went flying backwards and splashed into the water. He sank like a rock.

Chest heaving, Inuyasha sloshed his way into deeper waters. _I won't let her destroy me! I won't!_

"Inuyasha, stop it! Get back here!!" Terrified, Kagome splashed after him. _I've never seen him like this before! Is it the curse, or is he honestly flipping out?_ She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled again. "Inuyasha, you come back right now, or I swear I'll say the 's' word!!"

That seemed to penetrate his fevered mind. The boy slowly came to a stop, the rushing waters swirling around his chest. Shoulders trembling, he turned back to face Kagome.

"I won't let her get her hands on me!" he declared shakily. "I'm not going out that way!"

"And what? _Drowning_ yourself is acceptable?? You idiot!" Angry now, Kagome sloshed over to him, ignoring the push of the current as the water rose around her. "Use that big melon on your shoulders for once and THINK!"

A familiar scowl began to settle on his face. "I _am_ thinking, dumbass!! It makes more sense to go out like this than to—"

"And since when are you a coward, Inuyasha??" Huffing, she planted her hands on her submerged hips and glowered at him.

He started to reply, but his hand turned a darker shade of red and his eyes became vacant again. Before her eyes, he went from being almost sane to a shivering, sniveling coward afraid of his own shadow. He turned his back on her and worked on submerging himself beneath the rushing waters.

"Inuyasha! NO!!" Kagome cried out as he held himself underwater. Horror coursing through her, she tried to make her way into the deepening waters. Violent splashing erupted slightly downstream as Kaijin finally resurfaced, cradling his jaw.

"Dammit, that _hurt!_ Where'd he get that kind of power??" His grumpy expression fell away as he realized he was looking at one less person than he should. _Oh no…don't tell me that idiot is really trying to drown himself!_ Worry creeping through him, he fought to get to his companion, but strangely enough, he couldn't force his way through the current.

Fear creeping through him, Kaijin tried calling out. "Inuyasha! Get up, you nitwit!! Inuyasha!!!"

Inuyasha sputtered beneath the water, fear dominating every fiber of his being. The moment his head had disappeared beneath the water, a dark laugh had rippled through his head.

_Did you really think it would be that easy, puppy? As amusing as watching you drown would be, I'm not even **close** to finished with you._

Inuyasha gasped as he was suddenly hurled out of the water, only to come to a sudden halt about two inches above the surface. He hovered, face down and spread eagle, blinking at the water. About two seconds later, he began to struggle.

"Lemme down!! Dammit!" He clawed at the surface of the water, but his body simply wouldn't drop. In a small corner of his brain, a voice began to speak to him.

_What are you, nuts?? What the hell are you trying to do?_

Inuyasha whimpered pathetically, but he ceased abruptly when he received a strangely painful mental slap across the face.

_Snap out of it! You didn't go through all the pain in your life just to drown yourself in a goddamn river! And for what?? To get out of a fight??_

Inuyasha frowned. The voice made a good point, but…he just couldn't stem the overpowering fear that shot through him. Scowling, he struggled to meet the water…

"Inuyasha."

Ears twitching, he glanced up at Kagome. She smiled weakly, standing on her tiptoes in neck-high water. Struggling to keep her balance, she held up a hand.

"Take my hand, Inuyasha. We can beat her, I know it."

Inuyasha stared at her, a blush slowly crossing his cheeks. "K-Kagome…"

Ignoring the fear still ricocheting off every bone in his body, Inuyasha reached out with his burning hand…

…And clasped Kagome's.

_SPLOOSH!!_

Sputtering, Inuyasha scrambled for purchase on the slippery river bottom. Finally getting his feet beneath him, he straightened and broke free of the water. He started coughing, turning his head aside.

"Inuyasha? Are you okay now?"

After he regained control of his breathing, Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, who was watching him concernedly.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine." Tilting his head to the side, he lifted his free hand to scratch at his wet head. All of the fear that had consumed him had vanished, and his cursed hand felt fine. In fact…

Lips tightening, he glanced down at their clasped hands. The curse had been dispelled the moment Kagome grabbed his hand, no doubt about it. His lips twisted in a wry smile. _Looks like I was right. I had a hunch it would end up like this._ His smile slipping away, he turned away from Kagome.

_How am I supposed to tell her? _He frowned. _It's not like I can just say: "Hey, Kagome, I figured out a way around the Fox Goddess' spell. Care to hold my hand for the rest of this trip?"_ He snorted. _Yeah, right. I'll say that over my dead body!_

"Um, Inuyasha?"

Shaking his head, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "W-what?"

"Do you think…we could move into shallower waters? It's getting a little…difficult…to keep my balance." As if to demonstrate her point, her foot slipped and she dipped beneath the water.

"Idiot!" Moving quickly, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and lifted her out of the water. He glowered down at her. "Why didn't you say so sooner??"

"Hey! You were the one off in La-La Land, not me!"

Gritting his teeth, he started stalking towards the bank. "Well then, why the hell did you come so far out into the water?? You should've stayed back!"

"Ex_cuse_ me?? I come to help you in the middle of your panic attack, and all you can say is why did I come so far out?? You're…you're…" Her eyes gleamed with anger. "You're so insensitive!! I don't know why I even bother with you!!"

Crossing her arms, she looked away. "Put me down, Inuyasha. I'll get to shore myself."

Inuyasha winced at her frosty tone, but he made no move to set her down. Reluctantly, he glanced down at the girl he carried. Even wet and upset, she somehow managed to look adorable, and she'd taken a risk to go into such deep water with a current like this one…

…Wait a minute. She's adorable?

Kagome held her chin aloft until her neck got sore, but when Inuyasha suddenly came to a dead stop and didn't move, she gave in and glanced at him. His face was slightly contorted, and he looked embarrassed about something.

"Well?" she questioned, her voice frosty. "Are you going to put me down or what?"

He swallowed hard, refusing to look at her. _Where the heck did that "adorable" comment come from? I mean, just because…from time to time…she kind of…**is**…dammit!_ Abruptly, he became aware of just how natural it felt to hold her in his arms. When the hell had that happened?? It was probably just because he had to carry her sorry ass all over _Japan_ all the time. Anyone would get used to it, right?

"Inuyasha?"

_I mean, it's not like I'm really **attracted** to her or anything. Just because I know she's pretty…or…well, all right, maybe she's more than pretty…_

"Inuyasha!"

…_And so what if I may need to hold her hand later. It's not like I'll have a choice!_

"INUYASHA!"

Blinking, he glanced down at her. Kagome's eyes were narrowed, but that didn't limit the number of daggers that were shooting out of them. Slowly, he remembered just what she was so angry about…and he lowered his gaze.

Kagome fumed. _How ungrateful can a guy be?? I swear, this is the LAST TIME I'll lift a finger to help—_

"Thanks, Kagome."

Her thoughts halted in their tracks at the gruff words. Startled, she blinked up at him.

"What?"

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "I said…thanks. If you hadn't come to help me, I might have…" He trailed off, looking determinedly away.

A smile slowly spread across her face, and she folded her arms over her chest. "One of these days, Inuyasha, you should learn to say that the first time."

He glowered at her. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

She giggled. "Well, maybe if you didn't always say the first dumb thing to pop into your head…"

"I do not!"

"Do so!"

"Do not!!"

Kaijin rolled his eyes as the two engaged in one of their normal childish feuds. Frowning, he pawed at the swirling water. _As soon as Lady Kagome grabbed hold of Inuyasha, that strange barrier disappeared. I wonder if it was part of the Fox Goddess' trick. Can she even create a barrier? _Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he wandered out of the river. _I'm not sure she has the power to influence others outside of her curse. But if she didn't create the barrier, who did?_

As he set foot on the warm bank, Kaijin stretched lazily. The warm sun on his back was comforting, even when so many things didn't make sense. Smiling, he gazed up at the dripping sun. If he could just find a nice patch of grass to lie in, he could take a nap and forget everything for a little while…

"_Lord Kaijin."_

The tiger snapped out of his reverie, a hand darting to his sword hilt. He glared into the shadows.

"Who's there??" He scowled when silence met his words. "Well? Show yourself!"

Something moved in the shadows, but the movement was too quick for Kaijin to track. What the heck was that? Growling softly, he moved forward.

Kaijin froze when a pair of ice blue, almond-shaped eyes suddenly gleamed within the shadows, and a blast of cold air swept over him. Shivering, Kaijin's eyes widened.

"No," he whispered. "It can't be."

The eyes widened slightly before disappearing, the creature's presence fading completely. Shivering violently, Kaijin slowly dropped to his knees.

"It's not possible. How can he be here?" His voice fell quiet, his eyes full of old memories pounding at the surface. Shaking his head, he fought to clear his mind and slowly rose to his feet, his hand still on his sword.

Shoulders stiff, he turned back to the still-fighting couple.

"That's enough!"

The two froze at the suddenly regal tone of Kaijin's voice. His face hard as stone, Kaijin strode past them.

"Saddle up, Lady Kagome. We're leaving."

Inuyasha stared at the tiger demon. _Since when is he so…commanding?_ He frowned.

"Hey, who died and made you king??"

Kaijin stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned tolook over his shoulder atInuyasha, his eyes cold.

"My father and my mother. I even got to watch them die." His eyes narrowed. "Any more questions?"

Inuyasha's mouth fell open briefly, but he shut it quickly. "Oh, like you're the only one who's lost his parents?? Get over yourself!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome started to admonish, but her voiced lacked heat. It was hard to blame Inuyasha for being angry when he'd lost his parents, too.

Kaijin's eyes narrowed. "You think I didn't know about your loss? Unlike you, I've been well versed on the families of the other noble lines." He snorted. "I knew who you were the moment I smelled you, Lord Inuyasha."

He turned back to face Inuyasha, his expression unreadable. "I know you went through a hard time after your parents died. Hell, it was hard even before they died. I can sympathize." His eyes narrowed. "But I think you're the one who thinks that he's the only one with problems. I've seen things you can only pray you'll never see."

Silence weighed heavily in the air for a moment. Ears twitching, Kaijin shook his head and closed his eyes. He lifted a hand to his eyes and rubbed them wearily.

"I just…don't argue with me over this, ok? It brings up bad memories for us both." When he lowered his hand, his eyes were filled with weariness, but the previous chill was gone. He glanced back at the shadows behind him.

"We need to get out of here. There are some…people out there that we definitely don't want to meet, and they're doing their best to find us." He smiled slightly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "So…shall we go?"

Inuyasha wanted to snap at him, but the bone-weariness in Kaijin's eyes made his anger shrivel up and skitter away. _Feh_-ing lightly, he tipped his chin up and away.

"Yeah, sure. We need to hustle, anyway. This curse is getting really annoying."

Kaijin watched him for a moment, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"How, exactly, are you planning to carry Lady Kagome, Dog Butt?"

Inuyasha scowled at him. "What are you talking about?"

Chuckling softly, Kaijin gestured at the dog demon's arms. "That would be romantic, I'm sure, but Lady Kagome may find it uncomfortable after a while."

Inuyasha glanced down, surprised to find that he was still cradling Kagome against his chest. Cheeks flaming, he set her on her feet and turned his back to her.

"Not a word. Just get on." He was certain he heard a snicker as she climbed onto his back. _Dammit, that's the second time this has happened!!_ Irritated, he leapt into the air, soon followed by Kaijin.

The tiger smirked at him, his good humor mostly restored. "Say, Inuyasha," he whispered in a voice too low for Kagome to pick up. The dog demon glanced irritably at him.

"What?"

Kaijin winked. "You know, if you two had needed some more time aloooooooooooone, you could have told me." He blinked innocently at Inuyasha's growling response. "Well, gee, you don't have to be so angry. I just assumed, since you seem to enjoy holding her so much…"

"One more word from you," Inuyasha ground out, "and I swear I'll gut you."

Kaijin chuckled. "Sir, yes sir. As you wish."

Inuyasha glared at him. "That was six words, dammit."

"Hooray! Dog Boy can count!"

Kaijin laughed outright at the growl and murderous glares Inuyasha sent his way, but his eyes kept slipping to the shadows behind them.

_We have to get that curse off Inuyasha **now**. If we don't…well…_

He shivered as another cold chill raced down his spine.

…_The Fox Goddess may not have much left to play with.

* * *

_

**And for the more American of us, Kage (shadow)is pronounced "kah-geh," not "cage." And FYI- Inu's dad is referred to as Inu no taisho (dog general). He officially has no name.**

**Note! If you're good at cosplay, you may win a chance to go to Japan to see the premiere of Inuyasha's fourth movie! Go to my website for details.**


	9. Fire in the Sky

**Author's note: I was inspired yesterday. Make sure you review on this one (I love long reviews, though short ones are ok).**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**A soothing breeze whipped through the air, cooling the three travelers as they passed under the hot sun. Kaijin's eyes focused on the mountains ahead, pleased with the speed they were approaching. 

Slightly behind him, Inuyasha huffed as he took another strong leap.

"So, Cat Breath, how much longer will it take to make it to the Goddess' lair?"

The tiger turned to face him, smiling. "At the rate we're going, we should get there tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Hell yes." Inuyasha stifled a relieved sigh. It was about time he was able to get this damn doodle off his hand. He'd suffered enough embarrassment to last him a lifetime.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the tiger demon. "But you know, we would have reached them a hell of a lot faster if you hadn't stopped every ten seconds along the way."

Kaijin rolled his eyes. "Oh, give me a break. First of all, we've been making fairly good time, thank you very much, and secondly, if we hadn't kept stopping, you would have passed out from heat exhaustion." He gave Inuyasha a sour look. "Don't you think it would make more sense to stop for a while often instead of having to wait a day or two for you to recover from heat stroke?"

Inuyasha scowled and opened his mouth to reply, but he paused when a scent passed his nose.

"Hey, do you smell that?" Sniffing, Inuyasha aimed his next leap higher to get a better look at the landscape. Kaijin followed suit, also sniffing discreetly at the air.

"Yes, I do." The tiger frowned. "Something's burning. And it's not far off."

Glancing at each other, they gave a grim nod and raced towards the source of the scent. Before long, a tower of smoke loomed above the trees, and the stench of burning matter clogged the air.

A rush of adrenaline surged through Inuyasha's veins. This fire didn't smell like a natural one. It carried the scent of demon, blood, and burning flesh, and it set Inuyasha's stomach churning. Ears twitching, he began to pick up the sound of human screams.

Immediately, anger began to beat heavily on his heart. Why the hell did so many villages always have to be attacked? It seemed like everywhere he went, more people had died and had to be buried, and it was always, _always_ for no reason other than someone's sick amusement.

Abruptly, they broke out of the woods, and both demons came to a halt to stare at the chaos ensuing before them. An entire village was ablaze, horses whinnying and people running about, screaming. Beneath one burning building, a pair of dirty children huddled together and cried.

Growling, Inuyasha ran forward. "Hang on, Kagome!" He tried to sift scents out to determine what the demon was, but the scent was buried beneath the overwhelming stench of smoke and decay.

Kaijin watched Inuyasha dive into the village, Kagome wearing a grim expression on her face. He hesitated for a long moment before following. _It's been a really long time since I ventured into a human village for any reason._ Frowning, he steeled himself and raced forward. _Who the hell cares? They need help! My problems can wait until later, dammit._

Inuyasha paused in one blazing street, crouching to let Kagome off his back. Ears tweaking, Inuyasha rested a hand on his sword hilt and glared at one running villager.

"Hey! What's going on here?" he demanded. The villager made to ignore him, but Inuyasha snatched him by the shirtfront. "I said, what's going on??"

"A demon!" the man sputtered. "He's going to destroy the entire village!" A nearby crash made the man squirm violently. "Let me go!! Let me go!!!"

"Sheesh, put him down already, Inuyasha." Kaijin landed next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's frightened! We can find out the information on our own."

"Shut the hell up, Cat Breath!" Irritated, Inuyasha released the man, who was staring at Kaijin with large, frightened eyes. "And what the hell is the matter with you??"

The man's face had gone sheet white, and he stumbled back. "Not another one! Why won't you tigers leave our village alone??"

"What??" Frowning, Kaijin took a step forward, but the man simply screamed and ran away. "What the hell was he talking about?"

"We have company, boys."

The two demons turned to Kagome as she bent to pick up a forgotten bow and quiver of arrows from the street. Notching an arrow, she peered through the smoke ahead.

"I can sense someone coming. There's so much jyaki rolling off him, he might as well shout his presence!"

Inuyasha snorted, unsheathing Tetsusaiga. "I don't think he's worried about that. He _is _burning a village down." A smirk settled onto the dog demon's face. "All the better if he comes to us. Saves us the trouble of looking for him."

A tense moment passed, flames sparking and licking hungrily at the buildings nearby. Growling, Inuyasha started to take a step forward...

_BOOM!_

Inuyasha was thrown back as the ground in front of him suddenly exploded with fire. Landing unsteadily, he narrowed his eyes as a form dropped down into the smoke.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, lifting his sword.

The demon chuckled. "No one important. Just a nobody out for a night on the town." Laughing heartily, the demon stepped through the smoke towards them. "Thank you for bringing me new toys to play with!"

Kaijin flinched as the demon demon's voice finally registered. "Tsuyosa...how could you?"

Kagome and Inuyasha turned to stare at Kaijin after his whispered comment.

"You _know _him??" Inuyasha growled. He turned back to the demon, whose form was still partially obscured in the smoke.

The demon laughed gruffly, making Kaijin flinch again. "Well, well, well, what have we here? Lord Kaijin, in the flesh!" Red eyes glinting in the firelight, he stepped into the open. "Long time no see, _Master_."

As light finally settled on him, the demon bared a feral grin, his black tail twitching eagerly behind him. He towered over the two boys by a good half meter, his broad, fur covered shoulders making the rest of the world seem to shrink around him. Lifting a hand, he let blood-soaked claws slip free of his fingers, chuckling as he deftly licked them clean.

Kagome gasped, staring at him. "H-he's a tiger demon??" She turned to gape at Kaijin. "Is he..._related_ to you?"

Kaijin wore a sick expression. "N-no...he was a childhood playmate from a neighboring clan." Scowling desperately, he pulled his black sword free of its sheath. "How could you do this?? All those lives you've destroyed!!"

"Bah." Tsuyosa waved a hand dismissively. "They're only humans. They're only good for sport as is." As a pair of children ran by, he turned and slashed at them, sending arcs of ki towards the helpless kids.

"No!!" Kaijin dropped his sword and dove, knocking the kids out of the way. Two blades cut viciously into his legs, making him howl in pain.

"You sick son of a bitch! You were going to just slaughter those kids!!" Inuyasha leveled his sword on him. "I'll cut you in two!"

Smirking, Tsuyosa lifted his now clean hand. "Oh? We'll see about that." Eyes narrowing, his smile took on an evil edge. "These humans were boring me anyway."

As he spoke, a spark ignited in his hand and began to spin, joined quickly by several swirling balls of fire. The balls grew, howling as they spun in a glowing circle above the demon's hand. Grinning, he drew back his palm.

"Let's see how you handle this, Dog Boy! Honoo no Bakuhatsu!!"

The balls of fire crashed together in his palm.

_FWOOOM!!_

Inuyasha barely had time to throw Kagome and himself down as a tremendous blast of fire exploded towards them. A shaky building behind them was blown apart, flaming debris soaring through the air.

Growling, Inuyasha climbed to his feet and clenched his sword, letting the wind scar swirl about the blade.

"Kaze no Kizu!!"

Snarling back, Tsuyosa threw himself to the side and hurled a volley of fireballs at the blast, forcing it to deflect slightly. Inuyasha's attack missed him by a hair, singing the fur on his arm. His smile gone, Tsuyosa placed both hands in front of him and began amassing fire in his palms.

"Why you little snot! I'll teach you to mess with tigers!!"

"No! Tsuyosa, don't do it!" Patting the frightened children on the head, Kaijin stood and faced his former friend. "What's gotten into you? You never used to be like this!"

Tsuyosa scowled at him. "Yeah, well, times change, Lord Kaijin. Hell, you should know that better than anyone!" A dark smile settled on his face. "After all, normally a deposed king would be destroyed."

_Deposed king?_ Shaking her head, Kagome fitted an arrow to her bow and aimed at the large tiger demon. His attention wasn't completely on Kaijin yet, so she'd have to wait...

Kaijin took a step forward. "You think they didn't try? And where were you then, huh?? When I needed you the most, you vanished!"

Tsuyosa chuckled, placing one fire-laden paw towards Inuyasha and Kagome and the other towards Kaijin.

"My apologies, Lord Kaijin, but as I said, times change. I was no longer required to be your friend."

"Required?" Kaijin's eyes grew wide. "What the hell do you mean, _required_??"

"Please, Lord Kaijin, let me make up the lost time with you." His eyes narrowed. "I'll see you in Hell!!"

With that, he fired twin blasts at the group. Cursing, Inuyasha snatched Kagome into his arms and dodged, but when he glanced at Kaijin, the tiger hadn't budged.

"Move, you idiot!!" Inuyasha yelled out.

_KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH..._

Lifting his sword, Kaijin lowered his head. Black waves of ki streamed out of the blade, hissing as they took to the air. When the fire raced forward, the black wisps stretched out and wrapped furiously around the heat. Within seconds, the blast vanished, its only remnants a couple piles of writhing black and red mist on the ground.

Kaijin was silent for a long moment, his head still bowed. "You want to kill me? First you say that our years of friendship, the only real friendship I've _had_, were meaningless, and now you try to kill me?"

He lifted his head, his normally green eyes burning a violent red.

"You _bastard_."

Red sparks jumped from his black blade and raced over him, making his muscles jump and bulge under his skin. Arms trembling, Kaijin leveled his sword on his old friend.

"I'll see _you_ in Hell first!!"

Roaring, Kaijin ran forward, black flames leaping over his sword.

"KURAI METSUBOU!!"

The ground shook and cracked as the black fire exploded from Kaijin's sword, completely enveloping the other tiger demon and hurling him backwards. Violent screams erupted from Tsuyosa's throat as he clawed in vain at the dark fire.

Unnoticed within the black fire, a white seal suddenly jumped into vision on Tsuyosa's chest and burned viciously. Spreading quickly over his body, the spell began to heal the demon's body even as it was burnt.

Slowly, the blast faded, the only sound that of Kaijin's labored breathing and the fire still snacking cheerfully on the village buildings. With each lurch of his shoulders, the red in Kaijin's eyes faded.

"You pompous asshole."

Kaijin froze.

Grunting, Tsuyosa climbed heavily to his feet. The white seal on his chest glowed briefly before fading back into his skin. Rubbing a hand over it, he scowled at Kaijin.

"You don't think I knew about your damn sword? I was sealed against it back when we were still _kids_, dammit!" He snorted. "Though I'm surprised you were smart enough to not try a fire attack on me."

Stretching slightly, Tsuyosa stepped towards Kaijin. "Against me, that sword is completely useless."

Eye twitching, Kaijin scowled and lifted his sword, but Tsuyosa suddenly raced forward. Kaijin staggered backwards at the sudden movement.

"What the he—urk!" Kaijin was cut off as Tsuyosa's hand flashed out to grip his throat, and Tsuyosa lifted the smaller demon off the ground. Dropping his sword, Kaijin clawed at the other demon's hand, trying to pry it off his throat. Strangled sounds slipped out of his throat as he struggled, legs kicking in the air.

Scowling, Tsuyosa tightened his grip. "You always were useless, Lord Kaijin. Everyone but you could see what was really going on, but not you. You stayed naïve until the very end." He growled, tightening his grip mercilessly. Kaijin's mouth flailed as he tried to pull air into his lungs. "Even during a goddamn _civil war_, you stayed so freaking optimistic."

Tsuyosa smiled. "You can take that with you to the grave, Master. I'll make sure they carve a rainbow on your tombstone."

"Let him go."

Tsuyosa lifted an eyebrow as a large silver sword suddenly pointed at him. Still holding a weakly struggling Kaijin, Tsuyosa turned towards the stone-faced dog demon.

"You have a problem, mutt face?"

Inuyasha scowled. "Let him go, before I hack your arm off."

Tsuyosa studied the dog demon for a long moment before smiling. "Sure, whatever you say."

With that, he dropped the smaller tiger demon, smiling down as Kaijin coughed and wheezed. Tsuyosa closed his fist, forming a ball of fire around it.

"Just one more thing. A parting gift to you, Lord Kaijin."

His grin turning feral, he drew back his arm...

_CRACK!_

Kaijin grunted as the demons huge fist plowed into his face. Fire leapt from tiger to tiger, racing over Kaijin's fur as the boy sank heavily to the ground. He didn't move.

"Dammit!!" Inuyasha roughly peeled off his haori and threw it onto the unconscious demon. "Kagome! Try to put those flames out!"

"Ok!!" Running over, she placed her bow on the ground next to him and began slapping the fire under the jacket, slowly smothering the flames.

Growling, Inuyasha turned back to Tsuyosa. "You're going to pay for that."

"Yeah?" Smirking, he opened his palm and let a ball of fire form. "Let's see what you've got."

* * *

Kage hesitated outside the village. With all of that fire, finding a shadow to stay in would be difficult, not to mention dangerous. 

Frowning, he watched as blasts of fire and ki decimated building after building. _What on earth is going on down there? Who are they fighting?_

The shadow demon sat down and settled against a tree trunk, staring off into the village. _Well, if he tires himself out, all the better. That'll just make my job easier._

Closing his blue eyes, the demon leaned his head back and listened to the sound of the battle.

_I have to do my job, after all...

* * *

_

Huffing, Inuyasha dodged another small fireball. _Dammit! I have to make him use a larger amount of energy!_ He watched the bigger demon warily. _But how?_

Glancing down, he noticed a small cut on his arm. A tiny smirk appeared on his face.

"What the hell. I'll give it a try."

Tsuyosa narrowed his eyes at the dog demon, trying to keep his increasing fatigue from showing. Despite his power, he really didn't have much stamina, and he'd been hurling fireballs for a long time now. His hand shook slightly as he forced yet another ball to form.

"Ready to give up yet, Dog Boy?"

"Heh. I was about to ask you the same question." Inuyasha smirked, noting the faint look of exhaustion that had crossed the other demon's face. "I guess it figures that a big guy like you wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. My attacks are pretty hard to dodge for someone with as much mass to move as you do."

"Shut up!" Scowling, Tsuyosa clenched his fist. Three balls of fire began to spin about his hand. "I can whoop your ass any day!"

Inuyasha laughed derisively. "Sure, big guy, whatever you say. You've been throwing those fireballs at me for how long now?" A wave of satisfaction swept over him at the look of rage that threatened the other demon's face. _That's it, dumbass. Get niiiice and mad._

"Hell, you know what? I doubt I even need my sword to beat you!" Grinning with a confidence he didn't entirely feel, Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and cracked his claws. "I'll bet I can beat a loser like you with my bare hands!!"

"Why you little..." Growling, Tsuyosa increased the size of the fireball on his fist. "I'll teach you to mouth off like that!!"

"Try it, Tubby!!"

"_WHAT_ DID YOU CALL ME??" Furious, the large tiger demon lurched forward. "I'll burn your face off!"

Dropping the smile, Inuyasha leapt forward. "Sankon Tessou!!"

The tiger barely had time to dodge, the attack nicking him on the shoulder. Anger boiling within him, he turned to face the running dog demon.

"Why you—"

"HIJIN KESSOU!!" Using the cut on his arm, Inuyasha fired another volley at Tsuyosa. The demon roared as the blades cut into his chest.

Jumping back, the tiger growled viciously. "That does it, you little punk!!!" Placing both hands together, he forced as much fire as he could before him. Wind began to pick up as the fireball grew, mixing with the escalating growls coming from the tiger's throat. Mind clouded with rage, Tsuyosa looked up at the dog demon.

"Try this, you snot faced mutt!! HONOO NO BAKUHATSU!!!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened as the massive fireball came hurtling towards him. Grabbing his sword, he ripped it out of the sheath and immediately formed the Wind Scar. _Perfect!_

"Try this on for size, asshole!! BAKURYUHAAAA!!"

Tsuyosa's eyes widened as the sword's blast cut through his own and warped it, sending it back towards him in violent tornadoes.

"W-What the hell??"

He cried out as the attacks tore through him. The white seal tried to activate, but a wave of power soon sliced through it. Helpless, Tsuyosa simply lifted his arms and screamed as pain swept through him.

_How the hell did he do that??_

The waves of energy slowly tapered off, leaving a scorched ground and decimated huts in its wake. The wind from the attack had been powerful enough to smother some of the fire around them, though the buildings had been burnt beyond repair.

Coughing weakly, Tsuyosa lay tattered and bloody on the ground. His eyes closed in pain.

"How...did you...do that?" The tiger demon coughed again, blood dotting his lips.

Inuyasha sheathed his sword and walked over, looking down at the tiger with a cold gaze.

"Simply put, I used your own energy against you. If you hadn't gotten riled up, I couldn't have used that move." He smirked without humor. "But then I'd have kicked your ass some other way."

Tsuyosa narrowed his eyes at him. "Then shut up and just finish me off, mutt. I've outlived my usefulness anyway."

"No, Inuyasha. Don't...kill him...yet."

The two glanced over as Kaijin worked his way to his feet, swiping blood from his face. The noble tiger strode over, ignoring his wounds and Kagome's protests.

Eyes cold, he stared down at the defeated demon.

"Tell me why."

Tsuyosa stared up at him for a long moment before sighing. "Your relatives...they were tired of having your branch rule over the southern lands, so they came to my family. They wanted me to befriend you and take back any information I could gather about your family. If I didn't cooperate, my family would be slaughtered. It was as simple as that."

He chuckled softly. "I hated you for that, Lord Kaijin. For the position I was put in because of you. I cheerfully brought back all information on the heir's weaknesses and your parents' routines. After all, the sooner you were destroyed, the sooner my family would be free from the threats and attacks we suffered every moment you lived. When they learned enough, they attacked." A small smile worked its way onto his face. "As a matter of fact, you were supposed to be dead a long time ago."

Kaijin was silent for a long time.

"Then...why did you help me escape?"

A rough laugh escaped the battered demon. "Damned if I know. Maybe I felt sorry for you or something." He shrugged painfully. "It didn't matter. They swore to hunt you down and kill you anyway."

Another pause. "Why did you attack this village?"

"...It was an order." He closed his eyes. "Word that you're still alive has spread, Lord Kaijin. There's a bounty on your head by now." A shaky sigh escaped his lips, and his voice became weaker. "I was told you were heading this way, so I attacked the village to get your attention. They knew that without your sword, your strength was nothing compared to mine."

He coughed again, and his voice became a whisper.

"I wanted to kill you. I wanted to do it so much."

He took a slow shaky breath. "But I couldn't...do it."

Opening his eyes slightly, he gave his old friend a weak smile. "I guess I didn't hate you so much after all."

With that, he closed his eyes...and stopped breathing.

After a long moment of silence, Kaijin turned his back on the corpse.

"Let's go. There's nothing left for us here."

Kagome and Inuyasha glanced at each other for a long moment before nodding. Silent, the three strode out of the quieted village and headed for the rolling hills beyond.

* * *

Inuyasha watched Kaijin as they settled around a fire. Stars blinked in the clear night sky, mimicking the winking embers as they jumped free of the fire. The bones of several fish lay around them, the only remainder of their earlier meal. 

Hours had passed since they left the village, and still the tiger had said nothing.

Kagome cleared her throat softly. "Maybe...maybe we should have buried him. I mean, he really was your friend once, right?"

Kaijin didn't answer, his empty gaze fixed on the fire before him.

Kagome sighed. "Kaijin..."

"What happened with your family?" Inuyasha suddenly jumped in. He watched as the tiger's gaze flinched. _He needs to talk about it. Hell, I know better than anyone what can happen if you bottle everything up. _"You need to tell someone, and besides, I think we deserve to know what the hell was going on back there."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome admonished. _Jeez, can't he ease up?_ "Kaijin's just been through a rough time. If he doesn't want to talk, we shouldn't make him."

"...When I was a child, I saw my family murdered." His quiet voice filled the still night air, his eyes still fixated on the fire. "Another branch of the family wanted power, so they killed my mother and father to get it. They tried to kill me too, but I managed to get away. Of course, that was unacceptable...if they wanted a legitimate claim to the throne, they had to get rid of me."

He shivered slightly, running his hands up his arms. "They sent so many assassins after me. I somehow managed to get away from them, but I was only a child...I kept popping up in different villages, trying to find shelter. When the other tiger demons spurned me, I turned to human villages...which turned out to be even worse." He chuckled dryly. "I learned rather quickly that humans don't take to demons very easily. When I showed up, they sent mikos out to purify me."

Slowly, he peeled his faze away from the fire and smiled weakly at Kagome. "Now you can see why I'm afraid of mikos."

Sighing, he looked back at the fire. "After a while, I learned that the best way to survive was on my own in the woods. If no one who saw me lived to tell the tale, I wouldn't have to worry about being caught." He looked up again, this time with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I think you two are the first people I've actually befriended since the change of power." He smiled slightly.

"Maybe I was just tired of being alone."

Kagome was silent for a long moment. "What about your sword?"

Glancing down, Kaijin wrapped his fingers around its hilt. "Before he died, Father gave it to me. He told me to hide it in the woods a few days before the attack." His eyes lowered. "I guess he knew it was going to happen."

After a long moment of silence, Kaijin turned and looked at the mountains. They appeared to be so close now, after so many hours of traveling.

"Tomorrow, we'll reach the Fox Goddess' shrine." He turned back to face his companions. "Let's get this curse off Inuyasha."

The dog demon smirked. "Like I said before, it's about damn time." He cracked his knuckles. "The Fox has a lot of payback coming."

Kaijin managed a weak smile. "I'm sure she does." Lowering his eyes, he got to his feet.

"I'm...going to take a walk. I'll be back before long."

Kagome watched him start to leave. "Kaijin?"

He stopped, glancing at her over his shoulder. "Yes, Lady Kagome?"

Standing, she walked over to him. She ignored his sputtering protests and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a gentle hug.

"You're not alone anymore. We're your friends now." Squeezing him gently, she released him and stepped back. She smiled up at his shocked expression. "So don't go getting too depressed, ok?"

The tiger blinked, then gave her a bewildered smile. "All right...Lady Kagome." He started to leave again, but he paused briefly.

"And...thanks."

She smiled as he walked away, heading off towards the hills nearby. Walking back to the fire, she sat down beside Inuyasha.

"I think he'll be ok. He's tougher than he looks." She blinked when Inuyasha only grunted in reply. Curious, she looked over at him. "What's the matter with you?"

Frowning, Inuyasha looked away. "It's nothing. Forget about it." He used Kaijin's trick of staring into the fire as he thought. He'd felt impossibly alone, too, before he met Kagome. Even with Kikyo, he had felt a small emptiness inside. She had helped take away the pain of loneliness by accepting his company and providing hers in return, but he never had this easy friendship that he did with Kagome. He never felt that emptiness anymore.

"Ever since I met you..."

Kagome tilted her head slightly in confusion. "What?"

Jumping, Inuyasha blinked. _I said that out loud? Shit!_ "Um, nothing. I didn't say anything."

Kagome lifted an eyebrow, but she decided to let the matter drop. Leaning back on her arms, she looked up at the night sky.

"I think loneliness is the worst thing any person could have to bear. What would be the point of anything, if you have no one to share it with?" She turned to smile softly at Inuyasha. "I guess we're lucky."

Inuyasha stared at her before blushing slightly and looking away.

"Yeah...I guess we are."

_I'm lucky to have you...Kagome._

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**Honoo no bakuhatsu means Blazing Explosion, Kurai Metsubou means dark destruction, and Tsuyosa means strength.**

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